Partnership add momentum to Morocco's renewable energy goals

21 Nov 2016

In 2009, Morocco announced its goal to raise the share of renewable energies to 42% of its total installed capacity by 2020. During the COP21, the government announced an additional increase to 52% by 2030.

Solar will represent 20% of the generation mix and PV technology is a clear choice for renewable energy projects and strategies.

The solar radiation abundance in Morocco ensures the project profitability and offers a rapid return on investment. Coupled with the sharp drop in PV prices, this situation has made competition a lot more intense.

Dr Paul Grunow of PI Berlin and Badr Ikken of Iresen

“After having successfully initiated several projects aiming to develop locally solar systems and their components, we are very pleased to develop closer ties with PI Berlin to consolidate their expertise in technical consulting services for solar PV projects in Morocco and Africa” says Badr Ikken, general director of l’Institut de Recherche en Energie Solaire et Energies Nouvelles (Iresen).

He and Dr Paul Grunow, co-founder and board member of the Photovoltaik Institut Berlin (PI Berlin) signed a cooperation agreement at the COP 22 climate summit in Marrakech, Morocco. The agreement defines a partnership to consolidate the engineering expertise of the two institutes to provide technical consulting services for solar PV projects in Morocco.

It will concentrate primarily on the evaluation, verification, testing and consultation required for the solar projects from the conceptual phase, through construction and during operation.

The partnership will also allow for the providing of services in the areas of knowledge transfer and capacity building across the African continent in order to grow the technical expertise required for the lifecycle of PV plants. “We are very excited to have found such a well-established partner in Morocco to expand the reach of PI Berlin’s services and experience in the MENA region and across Africa,” says Grunow.