Solar plan – Although 95% of Morocco’s energy supply is based on imported coal, gas and oil, the country has set clear political priorities for the decarbonisation of its economy. An ambitious target was set by the country’s highest authorities in 2009: By 2030, more than 52% of total electricity capacity is to come from renewable energy. The world’s largest concentrated solar power plant, Noor, has already been built in Ouarzazate, and more solar power plants are in the works to meet the country’s energy needs. All of these large-scale projects are well documented and are being implemented by the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN), a central player committed to making optimal use of renewable resources in Morocco (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_Agency_for_Sustainable_Energy  ).

Recently, the Minister for Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Her Excellency Leila Benali, gave a speech at the World Power-to-X Summit 2024 in Marrakech on the topic of “Morocco’s Grid Investment Program: Building a Modern Electricity Grid for the Atlantic Corridor”, in which she appealed to public and private stakeholders to commit to a successful energy transition. The government has prioritized the introduction of renewable energies by improving the legal and regulatory framework.

Geography  – Morocco close to Europe, both on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts and in the south on the Moroccan Sahara. This offers enormous potential for solar and wind energy and facilitates trade with Europe. Furthemore, Morocco has launched a number of concrete projects to decarbonize Moroccan industry using green hydrogen based on water electrolysis, as well as seawater desalination projects to provide access to drinking water. During the last visit of the French President, several green economy projects were signed with France.

Renewable resources – We must bear in mind that the solar and wind resources in Morocco are very favorable for investment in renewable energies, with particular interest in green hydrogen. The global horizontal insolation (GHI) is more than 2200 kWh per square meter per year. The sun shines for over 3,000 hours per year, and up to 3,600 hours in the Moroccan desert regions. The country benefits from wind resources (3,500 km along the north and south coasts). These favorable renewable resources make Morocco a world leader in the industrial production, domestic consumption and export of renewable electricity, hydrogen and ammonia.

Culture – The country’s culture and the rich diversity of moroccan folks are the result of several dynasties. Thank to the current royal family Alawi dynasty and the constitutional monarchy, led by King Mohamed VI, who came to the throne in 1999 and ensures that all cultures coexist: Arabs, Amazigh, nomads. The Kingdom of Morocco is thus an incomparable cultural treasure, an oasis of peace. In addition, the strong Andalusian influence on the one hand and the African influence on the other have enabled Moroccans to open up to other religions and African cultures, giving rise to a great diversity of royal cities with different architecture, music and cuisine in different parts of the country. There are mosques, of course, but also churches and synagogues.