The National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water’s Director-General, Abdel Rahim El Hafidi, acknowledged yesterday, Thursday in Erfoud, that the photovoltaic solar plants of Erfoud, Zagora, and Missour have features that are distinct from traditional photovoltaic solar plants.

On the occasion of a technical visit to the solar photovoltaic station in Erfoud, El Hafidi stated that these stations contribute to the strengthening of solar photovoltaic energy production capabilities and play a significant role in maintaining the national grid’s balance, because “their achievement aims to absorb the shortage known to the regions at the end of the national grid, which is a major source of concern.”

El Hafidi, who was accompanied by a number of officials from the National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water, confirmed that the stations were completed in Erfoud, Zagora, and Mysore because these areas “suffer from the problem of low voltage in the national grid,” as well as the availability of great qualifications in the field of solar energy, with Erfoud’s estimated capacity of 2397 kWh/m2, “while Zagora’s capacity is estimated.

He went on to say that these plants, along with their qualifications and technological advancements in solar photovoltaic plant technologies, “enabled us today to reduce the cost of production by less than 30 centimes per kilowatt hour, whereas it was estimated at around 3.50 dirhams per kilowatt hour in 2009.”

El Hafidi, on the other hand, stated that the technical visit to Erfoud’s solar photovoltaic station was intended to inspect and determine the completion of the station’s construction work, as well as to see the results of technical experiments related to the station’s synchronization with the national grid and its exploitation.

He stated that all of the trials carried out at the station were successful, and that the second phase of the experiments would begin today, focusing on the evaluation of the plant’s performance and production, which will be synchronized with the exploitation.

He explained that this station is one of three placed at the end of the electricity network, which includes the 120-megawatt Nour Tafilalt solar complex.

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Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Inger Andersen, presented Morocco as a model in terms of investment in the field of renewable energies, on the occasion of the presentation of a new UN report on the environment.

Andersen said, in a joint press conference with United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, to present a report entitled “Making Peace with Nature”, “I should cite Morocco as an example (…) of countries that invested ten years ago in renewable energies, and which are now major producers of renewable energies from dual thermal wind and solar powers.”

The UN official called on developing countries to invest in nature and start the transition to energy transformation, in order to achieve an environment-friendly “renewable economy”.

According to the UNEP report, the world can tackle issues related to climate change, biodiversity and pollution all at once.

On the other hand, Guterres said that these issues require “urgent action by the whole society,” adding that “people’s choices matter,” noting that about two-thirds of global carbon dioxide emissions are coming from households.

Guterres also expressed his regret saying, “The atmosphere and oceans have become a waste disposal for us, and governments continue to pay a high price to exploit nature instead of protecting it,” adding, “We are overusing the environment, and we are leading to its degradation on land and sea.”

The UNEP study shows that global economy has nearly quintupled over the past five decades, but at a tremendous cost to the environment.

Despite the decrease in greenhouse gas emissions due to the Covid-19 epidemic, global warming is set to increase by 3°C during this century, as pollution-related diseases kill about nine million people prematurely each year, and more than a million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction.

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On Tuesday February 17th, Australian Ambassador to Morocco, Michael Cutts, praised the efforts of the Kingdom of Morocco in the fight against climate change.

“We commend Morocco’s efforts in this area, such as its National Climate Plan 2020-2030 (NCP), which aims to establish the fundamentals of a low-carbon and climate-resilient development,” Cutts said in an op-ed.

He pointed to the nationally determined contribution of 55 actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2030, at a time when the NCP is entering its final stages.

Cutts also mentioned the “Noor” project, Ouarzazate’s Solar Power Station (OSPS), one of the largest solar pens in the world that contributes to energy transition in Africa. Today, it has been able to provide about two million Moroccans with electricity, as well as avoiding the emission of nearly one million tons of greenhouse gases annually.

As for Australia, which aims to be carbon neutral as soon as possible, the ambassador referred to an investment plan aimed at raising nearly 45 billion euros in low-carbon technologies by the end of 2030, with a focus on hydrogen, carbon sequestration, as well as energy storage.

Cutts said that Australia’s goal is to make these technologies as economically competitive as their “more polluting” counterparts,” explaining that, even with the most ambitious emissions cuts, science still proves to us that we will have to adapt to climate change in the coming decades.

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Between 2018-2019, Morocco has become a strong hub in renewable energy, exporting more energy by 670% , and reducing imports by 93.5%.

This superiority is attributed to the building of the largest concentrated solar power farm in the world. “Noor Complex” has the capability to power one million homes, and significantly reduce the use of fossil fuels.

The international organization “The Borgen Project”, specialized in environmental affairs has indicated in a recent report that “Morocco has turned into a great energy producer”. In the past, Morocco used to have 97% of its energy from fuel. However, solar energy farms are able to balance the energy use in the country, reduce imports, and create opportunities for more exports; thus, ensuring energy self-sufficient state.

“Reducing energy consumption has saved funds in energy costs”, said Veronica Booth, the writer of the report. In 2018, the Moroccan government decided to move to the GMT+1 time zone, which has resulted in less electricity consumption by citizens. This shift allows for an increase in energy production and afford its export.

The advantages of solar energy in Morocco expand to multiple fields, creating a positive impact not only for Morocco, but for the entire African continent.
The organization of “Burgen project” explained that “the degree of poverty in Morocco have witnessed a remarkable decrease; as a result, the differences between rural and urban areas are no longer highly varying.”

Veronica Booth, emphasized “this disparity between regions is often ascribed to the difficulty in distributing energy, especially at the rural areas.” The fact that Morocco is investing in the solar energy, will help it to be able to distribute energy to the population living outside the urban areas.

In 2016, the poverty rate in Morocco decreased to 23%, compared to 45% in 2014, with the increase in dependence on solar energy, making household electrification easier and less expensive. Also, solar energy farms that have been accomplished throughout the whole country have created job opportunities.

Solar energy has helped the kingdom to be less dependent on energy imports and could export more of energy which supports the national economy and relations with other countries.

The report stressed that “the strength of the Moroccan economy has improved remarkably, the country is looking forward to establishing relations with European countries. In 2016, Morocco has launched the construction of the Moroccan-Nigerian gas pipeline project. This project would perfectly position Morocco as an energy hub in the Mediterranean region and between the continents of Africa and Europe.”

The same source considered that these economic ties with other countries allow Morocco to reach flourishing markets and create new business opportunities. Consequently, Morocco has become a political force on its continent Africa which is currently experiencing a leadership vacuum that Morocco is expected to fulfill. Given that it produces more energy and has established strong ties with European countries, Morocco is seen as a country committed to its economic and political relations.

The Kingdom of Morocco is considered a model for other countries in being self sufficient in Africa and has gained economic credibility with other countries.

Morocco has invested 85% of its funds in other African countries, in an effort to confirm its leadership role in this continent as well as improve the economies of some less developed African countries.

The organization further stated that His Majesty king of Morocco “King Mohammed VI has confidence in the capabilities of the continent and hopes to lead Africa to success. He also made Morocco the second largest investor in the African continent”.

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