Rabat – In collaboration with Belgium, Morocco launched a project for the production and storage of thermal energy from renewable energy sources within the Noor Ouarzazate solar complex.
The launching of the project took place on the sidelines of the Belgian Minister-President of Wallonia Elio Di Rupo’s visit to Morocco on Thursday. Fatima Hamdouch, deputy director general of Morocco’s renewable energy agency Masen, was also present at the event in Rabat.
Dubbed SOLHEATAIR, the project is “an integrated renewable solution for the production, storage, and valorization of heat produced by renewable energy sources,” Masen explained in a statement.
Masen’s statement further highlights that the energy from the project could be used for industrial purposes, including in the cement and steel industry. Thermal energy from the project could also be converted into electricity to reduce CO2 emissions.
The Wallon government funded the project as part of the operations of its “MecaTech competitiveness cluster,” a state organization that supports the technological development of innovative projects that serve economic development.
SOLHEATAIR was first conceived through a collaboration between energy companies, John Cockerill Renewables, OCP-owned Prayon, and Masen among other partners.
Through the project, the two countries hope to pave the way for a “holistic ecosystem of SMEs and research centers in Wallonia and Morocco.”
According to the statement, SOLHEATAIR would contribute to reducing CO2 emissions, especially within the industry and transport sectors, one of the world’s most polluting sectors. Combined, the two sectors release more than 30 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year.
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