Accompaniment of the Moroccan Solar Plan

Context The Moroccan Government presented an ambitious solar project of its own in November 2009 (Projet intégré de production d’électricité solaire) with the aim of producing energy sustainably by 2020 in five locations using concentrated solar technologies and photovoltaic systems with a total installed output of 2000 megawatts. The pilot project, with an output of 500 megawatts, is to go into operation in Ouarzazate by 2015. The first tranche, for 160 megawatts and three hours of thermal energy storage using parabolic trough technology, has already been awarded to an international consortium. Construction is likely to start in early 2013.The Moroccan Government intends to achieve increased independence from energy imports and also to have a positive effect on the labour market situation in the solar technologies sector through the programme as part of the country’s sustainable development. Its declared objective is to establish an industrial infrastructure for these technologies so that over time, Moroccan companies will also be involved in constructing power stations. These measures are accompanied by training measures and by Moroccan research focusing on industry-orientated, applied research.Project implementation will take place through the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN), which was established by legislation in March 2010.Objective Companies, applied research and initial and further training are better integrated into cross-departmental policy and practice to promote the solar sector in Morocco.Approach The project pursues an intervention strategy designed to bring together the various actors from the fields of private industry, applied research and initial and further training in a network or cluster structure through appropriate cooperation management. The methodological approach to achieving this objective comprises advisory services, workshops, conferences, individual studies on selected subjects, further training (also through fact-finding tours and an exchange of scientists with German institutions) and knowledge management on the subject of solar technologies. The project concentrates on the following focal areas: The project advises on and assists with the development and functioning of a solar technology cluster and supports the core group with confidence-building measures within the network. It advises the various actors in establishing measures and projects which generate added value for the Kingdom in the sense of local value creation. It supports the market presence of Moroccan companies and their products and services through providing advisory services and other initiatives in the solar technologies sector. It promotes the coordination of a suitable development programme for small and medium-sized solar technology enterprises through advisory services and workshops.Results achieved so far The development of an efficient cooperation alliance requires a high level of trust among the participants. The project is active in this context and has promoted dialogue and discussion between the participants through its presence and various measures. The project has enabled the participants to make new top-level contacts and gain access to knowledge at the highest level by inviting them to attend various conferences in the field of solar technologies (such as EU PVSEC and SolarPACES). By encouraging networking between participants and cluster members in Germany, various strategic project initiatives have already been launched, for example with SolarValley Mitteldeutschland, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE).The project has also launched a first assessment of the situation of Moroccan industry in order to gain an overview of the various actors involved, including a detailed analysis of the various links in the value creation chain in the field of solar technologies, which was prepared as presentation material.

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