Concentred Solar Power: Pilot project in Morocco
MENARES (MENA Renewable & Sustainability) is an independent research, consulting and training institute focusing on the thematics of renewable energies, low carbon development, green economy, environmental and social sustainability, and climate change in the MENA region.
El Mostafa Jamea, senior researcher at MENARES, called our attention to a Pilot Project on Concentrated Solar Energy in ait Baha (50 km south of Agadir, Morocco), which incorporates many innovations, including storage system and materials, collectors materials, size of the plant, structures.
Morocco and the entire Middle East and North Africa region are endowed with abundant solar resources, which are suitable for CSP technologies deployment. In this region, solar thermal technology has the potential to contribute not only in power generation, but also in sea water desalinization, process heat and other applications.
The pilot CSP project Ait Baha presents a very interesting case and will eventually contribute in the deployment of small and medium scale CSP projects in the MENA region. Main innovations are related storage system and materials, collectors’ materials, size of the plant, structures... etc.
This project will serve as a model for other small scale/ medium scale CSP projects in the MENA region and test the innovation measures implemented, which reduce costs and integrate the CSP within the local environmental and industrial contexts.
Three considerations were made in selecting the solar collector: more ecologic with regards to heat transmission, economic, and achieving high local contents.
The project demonstrates that it is possible to generate high temperature heat (up to 600° C), which can be used either to power steam turbines, or to generate process heat for several industrial applications.
The project provides concrete lessons and additional knowledge and data, further to the on-going and previous studies and research to identify opportunities for low temperature process heat generated by solar thermal technologies.
Finally, the Ait Baha CSP pilot project achieved more than 50% local contents, hence, responding to one of the requirements of national MENA institutions, and demonstrates that MENA countries could develop and integrate their national industries in CSP projects.
[Photos courtesy of AirLight Energy for Cimar]
