Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company Masdar has successfully completed the installation of an off-grid solar power project for 19,438 homes in more than 1,000 rural villages in Morocco.
The Morocco Solar Home Systems (SHS) project is a partnership between Masdar and Morocco’s Office National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable (ONEE). The initiative is contributing to Morocco’s ambitious electrification efforts that have so far connected nearly all rural areas in the country with electricity. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, Morocco has around 128,000 homes powered by solar home systems, and ranks among the top three countries in Africa for the adoption of this technology.
“Morocco is a showcase for progressive policies and regulations that enable the adoption of renewable energy, and for effective public-private cooperation,” said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO, Masdar. “This has paved the way for our partnership with ONEE to deliver the Morocco Solar Home Systems. Off-grid solar has the capacity to deliver electricity access to remote regions practically and cost-efficiently. Masdar is proud to have contributed our expertise and experience to help implement this transformative project, and we remain a committed partner of Morocco to support the realisation of its long-term clean energy goals.”
Each of the installed systems delivered for the project consists of 290W solar panels and batteries, with sufficient storage capacity for up to three days, ensuring an uninterrupted power supply. Each home is also provided with energy-efficient LED lamps and a 165l refrigerator. Masdar will maintain the solar home systems for two years through its Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors. After this period, ONEE will manage the network for an additional eight years. Each home-owner contributes a small monthly fee towards the upkeep of the technology.
“The solar home systems project will help us provide over 99% of our rural communities in Morocco with electricity,” said Abderrahim El Hafidi, acting director general, ONEE. “These remote, off-grid communities are often faced with challenging conditions in energy access, but this initiative is providing over 95,000 people with electricity through customized renewable energy solutions.”
