vast moroccan solar power plant is hard act for africa to follow
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Vast Moroccan solar power plant is hard act for Africa to follow

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Vast Moroccan solar power plant is hard act for Africa to follow

A thermo solar power plant is pictured at Noor II Ouarzazate, Morocco
Ouarzazate, Morocco - Arab Today

On the edge of the Sahara desert, Morocco is building one of the world’s biggest solar power plants in a project largely funded by the European Union.
It is a hard success for other African nations to match as they seek to implement a new global deal to combat climate change.
The huge 160-megawatt first phase of the Noor plant near the town of Ouarzazate contrasts with efforts by some other nations focused on tiny roof-top solar panels to bring power to remote rural homes.
At Noor, curved mirrors totalling 1.5 million square meters (16 million square feet) — the size of about 200 soccer pitches — capture the sun’s heat in the reddish desert.
Morocco is showcasing Noor before talks among almost 200 nations in Marrakesh about implementing a global deal to combat climate change that entered into force on Nov. 4 — a day when the Saharan sky was unusually overcast with spots of rain.
“We hope we can be an inspiration,” said Mustapha Bakkoury, head of the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen). Many African nations are pushing to boost economic growth to end poverty, while seeking greener energies.
The gleaming concentrated solar power plant is not economically competitive with cheaper fossil fuels, but is a step to develop new technologies as prices for solar power fall sharply.
“Unfortunately for many, it’s thought that renewables are to have a light bulb or light a school ... This is to get away from the caricature of renewables,” Bakkoury said.
Morocco aims to get 52 percent of its electricity from clean energy such as wind and solar by 2030, up from 28 percent now.
Once completed, Noor will cost 2.2 billion euros ($2.45 billion) and generate 580 MW, enough power for a city of almost 2 million people. Morocco aims to expand at other desert regions to 2 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2020 at a cost of $9 billion.
On the sprawling site, south of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, workers clear ground with diggers, build concrete pillars or clean off Saharan dust that dims sunshine. In Arabic, Noor means light.
By contrast in East Africa, M-KOPA Solar has installed 400,000 tiny rooftop solar panel systems costing $200 each on homes in the past five years to provide power for light bulbs and a radio. That completely by-passes the grid.
M-KOPA CEO Jesse Moore, whose company focuses most on Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, said rooftop solar systems were a breakthrough for Africa, where half the 1.2 billion people lack electricity.
He noted that Tesla founder Elon Musk was trying to sell solar systems to US homes.
“Elon Musk is trying to get people to leap off the grid in California. Over here on the other side of the planet this is happening already,” he told Reuters.
Unlike Morocco, some nations in Africa find it hard to attract investors to green projects, part of global efforts to limit climate change and more floods, heat waves and droughts that are a big threat to Africa.
“Morocco is particularly suited for a large-scale project. It may not be suitable for all other countries,” said Roman Escolano, vice president of the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The European Union including the EIB has funded about 60 percent of Noor. Masen issued Morocco’s first green bond, of 106 million euros, on Friday to help finance Noor.
Apart from sunshine, Morocco has had relative political stability in recent years and a predictable legal and banking system, helping it attract investors.
Even so, Morocco has had a week of street protests after the death of a fishmonger, crushed to death in a garbage truck in a confrontation with police, in one of the biggest and longest challenges to authority since the 2011 Arab Spring.
Unusually for a desert, Morocco has water from the Atlas mountains to help clean off dust. And in some countries, power lines from remote parts of the Sahara could be vulnerable to attacks — Noor’s pylons have red spikes to discourage intruders.
At Noor, the sun’s rays bounce off the mirrors, heat a fluid that in turn heats a vast tank of molten salt that can drive a turbine to generate electricity even after dark.

Source: Arab News

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

vast moroccan solar power plant is hard act for africa to follow vast moroccan solar power plant is hard act for africa to follow

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

vast moroccan solar power plant is hard act for africa to follow vast moroccan solar power plant is hard act for africa to follow

 



GMT 19:07 2017 Wednesday ,13 September

Kuwaiti oil barrel down 82 cents to US$50.56

GMT 03:02 2017 Saturday ,11 November

Drahi retakes the reins at Altice as share price tumbles

GMT 19:46 2016 Friday ,07 October

Football: Saudis deny Australia with late equalizer

GMT 22:01 2017 Thursday ,20 April

52 ships transit Suez Canal

GMT 04:28 2016 Monday ,14 November

Fujairah seeks partnerships with all investors

GMT 15:32 2017 Saturday ,25 February

Steinmeier elected German president

GMT 09:25 2017 Sunday ,24 December

HRH Premier Prince Khalifa bin Salman leaves Thailand

GMT 13:39 2017 Sunday ,17 December

Britain must obey EU environment rules
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday