Masdar delivering rural electrification project in Morocco
Abu Dhabi-based clean energy company, has installed 50% of the solar energy systems in a rural electrification project
Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy company, has installed 50 per cent of the solar energy systems as part of a rural electrification project in Morocco.
On Saturday, Masdar announced that 9,000 of the 17,670 solar systems have already been installed.
The project is designed to bring renewable energy electricity access to rural areas in Morocco and is targeting 940 remote villages,
The UAE and Morocco’s Office National de L’Electricite et de L’Eau Potable (ONEE) signed a partnership agreement last year to deliver the project.
The project has been funded through a grant from the government of Abu Dhabi and is scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2016.
In a statement, Masdar said: “All of the 290-watt home solar energy systems are designed, supplied and installed under a project that is being executed by the Masdar Special Projects team… the full installation will result in 99 per cent of rural Morocco having energy access by the end of 2017,” along with local initiatives.
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, the CEO of Masdar, said: “The Kingdom of Morocco is a mature market for utility-scale renewables, but the country has also made exceptional progress in electrifying rural areas.”
Al Ramahi added: “This project advances the global goal of delivering sustainable energy for all, and is another remarkable achievement for Morocco as it prepares to host COP22 at the end of this year.”
Director of Masdar Special Projects, Khaled Ballaith said: “The systems we designed for rural Morocco are adapted to the particular geography; and various technical elements, such as the mounting frames and three-day storage capacity, help the systems function even under snowfall.”
The project is designed to deliver a solar energy system of 290-watt panels that charge dual batteries capable of storing energy for up to three days.
The home solar energy system is a first of its kind in the region and comes as Morocco prepares to host the 22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP22) UN climate negotiations in Marrakech from 7-18 November.
