Morocco recently announced that it has pre-selected several solar power producers to build two additional concentrated solar power plants (CSP) in Ourzazate.  Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power, which is currently building a 160MW CSP plant in the same area, is among the firms picked to bid.

As part of the country’s overall plan to reduce its energy imports and stabilize energy generation in the next couple of decades, Morocco is pushing ahead with a slew of solar energy projects that will eventually produce up to two gigawatts of clean power.

Acwa’s 160MW plant will generate energy at a cost of just $0.19 per kilowatt hour, a competitive price that places the Saudi firm in the front running to build and operate two more plants – a 200MW parabolic trough plant and a 100MW plant using the same technology.

Consortia led by Spain’s Abengoa and GDF’s International Power have also been pre-selected to submit proposals for the 200MW Noor II plant, while France’s EDF was added to the team pre-selected to bid for the 100MW project, Morocco’s Solar Energy Agency (Masen) told Reuters.

“The capacity … will depend on the contractors, who could bid for more than the announced capacity, especially with the 100 MW tower which could reach 200 meters, the highest tower ever seen in Morocco,” sources told Reuters.

Although they have yet to make an official statement, one is expected in the next few weeks, the World Bank, European Investment Bank and Germany’s KfW Bank have agreed to finance the development projects.

Meanwhile, according to Arab News, Morocco’s state power utility, ONEE, has said it will also scatter 10 30MW photovoltaic plants throughout the country to help even out energy supply.

:: Arab News

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As part of their negotiations with leaders throughout Africa, IRENA is pitching Morocco as the continent’s pilot country. Which makes sense given that MASEN is set to announce the winner of a tender to design, finance, construct, operate and maintain a 160 MW CSP plant near the southern city of Ouarzazate. Although the Solar Impulse journey has stalled, delaying the announcement, Saudi’s ACWA consortium seems set to win.

Lessons learned from Morocco

Building a Renewable Energy Database Framework, with Morocco as a pilot country, is just one of IRENA’s several renewable energy initiatives in Africa that is crafted to improve the accessibility and dissemination of qualitative and quantitative data to policymakers and stakeholders working to expand the continent’s clean energy infrastructure.

Morocco has keen ambitions to generate 2GW of solar energy by 2020, putting it far ahead of many other African nations that continue to stumble over coal and other fossil fuels while 590 million people continue to sit, literally, in the dark as a result of limited access to energy supplies.

“Blackouts, along with reliance on expensive fossil fuels for stop-gap electricity generation, are estimated to cost African economies between 1% and 5% of GDP each year,” according to a recent IRENA press release.

But bridging the gap will be no easy feat and requires a thorough review of both opportunities and restrains facing leaders. IRENA, with headquarters in Abu Dhabi, has introduced a Renewable Scenario for Africa, which reviews the impact of various policies that could promote the transition to a clean energy system within the next two decades.

Full energy access by 2030

“The scenario projects that the share of renewables in Africa could increase from 17% in 2009 to 50% in 2030, and nearly 75% by 2050. Total installed renewable capacity would grow from 28 GW in 2010 to around 800 GW by 2050, with solar photovoltaic accounting for 245 GW, wind 242 GW, hydropower 149 GW, concentrating solar power 94 GW, biomass 69 GW and geothermal 8 GW,” according to the agency.

“The Renewable Scenario factors in the goal of full energy access by 2030, while substantially reducing longer-term costs compared to the business- as-usual scenario in 2050. IRENA continues working with African partners to enhance the Renewable Scenario with more detailed data and tools.”

While many critics rightfully expect little in the way of meaningful action from the Rio+20 conference, these side events may prove infinitely more interesting and successful than the main circus. And North Africa, despite the Arab Spring uprisings, is leading the pack.

:: IRENA

Image credit: man walking Moroccan desert, Shutterstock

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Desertec Begins: 500MW Moroccan Solar in 2012

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André Borschberg flew for the first half of the Solar Impulse’s 2,500 km journey, from Switzerland to Spain, which proved that it is possible to fly a plane night and day without a drop of fuel, but Piccard will cross the Mediterranean Sea – the first time a solar-powered airplane has completed such a feat. 

Heavy wind early Tuesday morning (local time in Madrid) came close to derailing the plane’s schedule. “It wouldn’t have been the first time, but the fear of deceiving the Moroccans was a thought filling our minds,” André reported from the ground.

“It was decided that the preparations should proceed as planned with the belief that the conditions would improve in the midst of it all. Thankfully, the weather granted our wish and changed course, opening the necessary window for take-off.”

Once the pilots have visited the construction site of Morocco’s first solar-thermal plant in Ouarzazate and their trip to Morocco is complete, they will begin to prepare for the next step of their remarkable journey: to fly around the world relying only on the sun for power.

image via Jean Revillard/Rezo.ch (taken from the Solar Impulse Facebook page)

More Solar Impulse News:

World’s Longest Solar-Powered Flight Will Land in Morocco

Track the Sun-Powered Solar Impulse Flight to Spain and Morocco 

The post Morocco to Welcome Solar Impulse Pilots Tonight appeared first on Green Prophet.

Morocco is developing a project that will be the largest in the world to combine two natural clean power allies, wind and water, in a hybrid power project rated at a little over 1 GW (1,070 megawatts) as part of Morocco’s ambitious renewable energy targets set just two years ago in 2009, to get 10% of its electricity from renewables by 2012 and a staggering 42% from solar by 2020.

The African Development Bank (ADB) has made an offer to invest $329 million of its own money in the groundbreaking hybrid wind and hydro-electric power plant.

Although seldom built in tandem as one project like this, hydro power is often used to provide storage for wind power. Water is pumped uphill with electricity from wind at times it is not needed on the grid, for example past midnight, when demand is low. Then it can be released to run the hydro electric turbines when the power is needed. A small wind-hydro hybrid began construction in the Canary Islands in 2010, but it is only one tenth of the size of this proposed hybrid.

With this bold investment offer by the African Development Bank the funding has gotten a jump start. Quite aside from the innovation aspect, the size of the project would double Morocco’s existing hydropower, rated at 1,205 MW.

The total cost of the hybrid wind and hydropower project will be $2.16 billion. As well as the African Development Bank, other investors are expected to want in on such a revolutionary idea, in a nation that has moved to the forefront in renewable development. As well as making the $329 million investment using its own money, the African Development Bank will also earmark an additional $150 million for the project from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) which it helps to finance with other lenders.

While MASEN, Morocco’s Agency for Solar Energy is becoming world famous for its visionary solar projects, the Office National d’Electricite (ONE) runs Morocco’s wind and hydro power energy programs.

You might not associate hydro power with a parched MENA nation, but in fact the entire African continent has enough hydropower potential to meet its entire electricity needs, and has tapped only 20% of it, according to a Hydropower Resource Assessment of Africa published a few years ago.

Most of the continent’s existing hydropower projects are in the North African nations of Morocco and in Egypt.

Since the power is to be used in Morocco’s isolated rural areas, it is another opportunity to get the world’s last few billion people without electricity straight onto the clean grid right away, bypassing the dirty grid altogether, and thus it is a very exciting investment opportunity with potentially world-changing effects over the long term.

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