RENEWABLE ENERGY AND HUNGARIAN OPPORTUNITIES IN MOROCCO

Featured News // 2016.03.04

According to globoport.hu, Morocco was pitied just a few years ago, since the Western-African country imports 94% of its energy needs and 100% of the fossil energy needs (coal and hydrocarbons) are imported.

After independence, the urban needs were covered by outdated and wasteful imported oil energy system, while the countryside has almost no access to electricity.

King Hassan II constructed water power plants, and his successor, Mohammad VI signed the DESERTEC program with Germany to relieve the European renewal energy hunger. The Germans promised the deployment of 2,000 MW wind farm and 2,000 MW solar power plant worth EUR 10 billion – which was called a “recolonization” by the critics – for the European Union.

Eventually, DESERTEC program was canceled in 2014, because it was revealed the Union had a surplus of renewable energy, but Morocco has been profiting from it. They began to export energy to Europe, globoport.hu wrote.

Source: http://www.desertec.org

In Morocco, the country could improve its energy efficiency: they can spare nearly 1000 MW of energy, which is 12% of the total power plant capacity. This is the half of the output of the Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary.

The country already has 30 pieces wind farms with a performance of 300 MW individually, and there is 24 hours of wind every day on the 3000km-long coast of Morocco, which means they could export energy very cheaply.

However, according to globoport.hu, there are some shortcomings as well. The core network has a very low voltage (220 KV), but 750 KV or 1200 KV would be needed. Hungary has 750 KV power lines (but they are being reduced to 440 KV), so the country could use the experience to build 1000 km of power lines in Morocco, the author wrote. Another problem is the lack of power storage.

Dr. Jozsef Steier, representative of the Hungarian Trade and Cultural Centre (HTCC) and the Moroccan Hungarian Business Council (CAMH) – and the writer of the article – presented a proposal to overcome the problems.

Meanwhile, El Noor I – the first concentrated solar power plant complex of Africa – has been built. The aim is to generate 40% of the country’s energy need from renewable energy sources (REN). There is also a green project in Morocco called Green Morocco plan.

According to globoport.hu, if you are interested in the topic, you can participate in the 23rd International Energy and Innovation Forumin Visegrad on 17 to 19 February 2016 (www.foenergetikus.hu), where Dr. Jozsef Steier will give a lecture. It is also worth attending the 2nd Budapest Sahara Scientists Summit on May 20-21, 2016, which will by organized by the African-Hungarian Union, BKIK and SUNWO Zrt. (www.sunwo.eu).

Source: http://dailynewshungary.com/renewable-energy-and-hungarian-opportunities-in-morocco/