A report by German outlet Tagesschau has put forward the assets Morocco possesses in green hydrogen, recalling that the country will supply Germany with green hydrogen in the future and that it is considered a “pioneer of Africa in green energy.”
Currently, Morocco derives 20% of its energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind, and hydraulics.
The country’s ambitious green energy project aims to increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity consumption to 52% by 2030, and 80% by 2050.
According to Moroccan energy expert Rahal Lagnaoui, this objective is achievable thanks to the country’s significant solar potential.
Morocco ranks seventh in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) issued by Germanwatch, after countries such as Denmark and Sweden.
The strategic partnership between Morocco and Germany brought them to sign a joint declaration on the development of green hydrogen in 2020, called Power-to-X, which aims to promote renewable energies.
According to Taggeschau, Morocco should become the leading producer of green hydrogen in Africa by 2025, while the KfW German Development Bank is financing the construction of a green hydrogen production plant for an amount of 300 million euros.
Deputy Head of the National Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN) Samir Rachidi said: “The idea is not to make Morocco the future ‘Hydrogen Russia’ but an important player with which we can produce green hydrogen with high added value and low cost, competitively and in the short term.”
This “win-win partnership” that the two countries put as a target will allow Morocco to become a green hydrogen producer, thus being able to increase its electricity production from renewable sources, while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
For its part, Germany will be able to obtain a portion of this green hydrogen production, which can be used in various applications such as mobility, industry, and power generation.
However, the Tagesschau program also mentioned some challenges such as water scarcity and drought. To this end, “the idea is in fact to use exclusively desalinated sea water to produce hydrogen,” explains Rachidi.
Because Morocco and Germany aim at a win-win situation, the KfW bank is presently investing around 700 million euros in the Moroccan water sector.
Read also: Morocco Establishes Its First Green Hydrogen Production System
