Maroc’s Noor 1: Currently the $9 jillion Noor facilities generate 160 megawatts (MW). Credence: Fabiola Ortiz
By Fabíola Ortiz
The hopeful Moroccan plan for harnessing heat future from the sun in the Sahara desert and turning it into fervency has drawn international attention, also during the Common Nations Climate Change Conference (COP22), held in Marrakech, between November 7-18.
Two hundred kilometres North drive from the COP22 venue lies the 450 hectares Noor solar circuitous. When it starts fully operating in 2018, it Testament power over one million households and bit 760,000 tons per year of greenhouse gas emissions.
The hale Moroccan capital city Rabat attack in this power station said to be the microcosm’s largest solar plant compared to the dimensions of the European city of Barcelona. Noor is situated at the desert town of Ouarzazate surrounded by the Telamon mountain range and its Berber villages. Titled as the gate to the desert, Ouarzazate has also grow into the gate to tapping the solar energy.
“Since the creation became aware in the Earth Summit Rio 92 (Agreed Nations Conference on Environment and Development) of the pressing need to address climate change, the Nation of Morocco has resolutely sought to ensure that its proactive programme of sustainable development and environmental protection is in column with the international community’s global battle,” said the Moroccan King Mohammed VI, at the COP21 in Town when the world leaders agreed on a flock to curb greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the satellite’s warming by the end of the century.
Morocco receives astir 3,000 hours of sunlight per year, existence the Sahara desert a perfect place to rule the sun’s rays. This North African territory enjoys no fossil fuel reserves and it relies well-nigh exclusively on imports to meet its domestic precondition.
In line with the Twenty-Second Association of Parties in Marrakech and as part of the responsibility of proving its fresh credentials with climate commitments, the Noor labyrinthine is part of Morocco’s strategy to constitute 42% of its power mix generated from renewable fountain-head by 2020 – a goal that has been applauded by the UN.
Maroc publicized a series of constitutional, legislative and restrictive reforms. Energy transition has apparently beautify a top priority.
The country announced a US$13 gazillion plan for expanding wind, solar and hydroelectric dynamism generation to increase its share of renewables in fewer than a decade to come.
Currently, the $9 1000000000 Noor facilities generate 160 megawatts (MW). When the close two phases are completed and the solar turbines commencement running to its full potential, it is expected that Noor Testament generate more than 500MW. The abutting phases – Noor 2 and Noor 3 – are anticipated to begin their operations in 2017 and 2018,.
To money management the mega structure, Morocco has secured allowance of US$519 million from the World Swear, 654 million euros from European bank KFW and partly from the African Boost Bank, the European Commission and European Assets Bank.
The project is being developed by a pool of the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) calm with ACWA Power – a developer, investor and train driver owned by eight Saudi conglomerates and sense-quartered in Saudi Arabia.
The company is presently operating in 11 countries in the Middle Due east and North Africa (MENA), Southern Continent and South East Asia. The MASEN transfer the electricity generated in Noor to the National Work for Electricity and Water.
“Morocco is making the boss out of the resource it has, it has got sun and capability to develop industrial influence. At the end of the day, we want to deliver stable and reliable verve with a fix price and continuous supply for the close 25 years. It is fundamental for ground exploitation and social wellbeing,” said Paddy Padmanathan, Foreman Executive Officer of ACWA Power.
The potential mega complex uses a technology titled Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). Its costs are higher thanks to of the use of lenses and mirrors rather than the generally known photovoltaic panels that let usually lower installation costs. On the over-the-counter hand, the CSP technology allows to store all over eight hours of energy. That plan saving energy to use at nights and in cloudy life.
“We take the heat of the sun and run the steam turbine. We don’t call for to use the electricity immediately because we are able to collect it efficiently. That is the big advantage of the CSP system, it is even more versatile,” explained the civil mastermind who has been the ACWA’s CEO since 2006.
Padmanathan is of the conception that setting up renewable plants in inaccessible areas where there are usually locus that tend to have the poorer benchmark of living conditions is a way of “revitalizing remote division on the back of investments like this”.
“Morocco has demonstrated that you can deploy this case of project with scale. It is replicable if you use a cobwebby procurement process”, he told IDN.
Asked if it can revolutionise other developing countries, Padmanathan aforementioned countries like Jordan, South Continent, Botswana, Namibia have shown game in the Noor plant. “We also conventional visits from Peru and Chile”, he recalled. Those two power share the Atacama desert in South U.s. with huge potential of harnessing the sun for power generation.
