HYDROGEN, A NEW ENERGY VECTOR IN MOROCCO
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Morocco is blessed with abundant natural resources. What the country lacks in hydrocarbons is compensated by the excellent solar and wind potential. Morocco has understood this a long time ago and directed the focus away from digging and drilling to harvesting the elements to produce very cost-competitive green electricity.
The Sahara Desert, which stretches into Morocco, is the world’s sunniest area year-round, with solar insolation levels of 2,500-3,000 kWh per square meter per year. But it is also one of the windiest areas on the planet, especially on the west coast. Average annual wind speeds at ground level reach 8-9 m/s in the western coastal regions. Good wind sites in Morocco have wind speeds that are comparable to offshore conditions in Europe.
ACWA Power is a developer, investor and operator of power generation and desalinated water plants with 65 assets in operation, construction or advanced development across 12 countries. It employs about 3,500 people with ~60% local employment. ACWA Power’s portfolio, with an investment value in excess of USD 67.6 billion, can generate 43.4 GW of power and produce 6.4 million m3 /day of desalinated water.