Morocco, world’s top country leading new global green energy league
The kingdom of Morocco is among leading countries around the world with potential investment targets in relation to the size of their economies, on the first ‘normalized’ version of the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) from London-based EY.
The normalized version, first of its kind of the RECAI hails the North African country’s ambitious plans for solar, wind and more recently green hydrogen, in pursuit of a 52% green energy share by 2030.
“Its geopolitical position is another positive factor in Morocco’s journey to a low-carbon economy. Not only does it have two existing interconnectors with the Spanish power system, but a third is planned, as well as a fourth with Portugal. Morocco is also active in supporting other African markets with their clean energy transitions, drawing on its own experience,” the authors of the ranking further explain.
“The country hopes to achieve its goals through technological development in the field of energy, storage, green hydrogen and lowering the costs of renewable energy. Morocco has been ranked by the International Renewable Energy Agency as one of the top five countries in the world for competitive green hydrogen production potential,” they added.
The North African country, according to Director General of the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency, has shown the entire continent how to economically implement renewable energy policies. “And we are supporting our partners across the continent today in this area,” he was quoted as saying in Moroccan media.
Morocco, which imports most part of its energy needs, has rolled out an ambitious strategy to be sufficient while making sure that renewable energy accounts for 52 per cent of its local production by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050.
The national commission for hydrogen unveiled a green hydrogen roadmap last year before launching the Green H2 cluster, a five-hectare research and development pilot site for green ammonia production.
On the standard Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) this year, Morocco sits in the 19th spot behind larger economies such as the US, China, Germany, the UK, France, Australia, India, and Spain.
According to the index, in 2021, Morocco’s renewable energy supply recorded a 10% annual increase to reach 7.9 terawatt-hours (TWh), 19% of the total energy market, up from 7.3TWh in 2020.
The kingdom boasts 3,000 hours of sunshine a year and is believed to be well-placed for solar power but wind energy is expected to overtake solar in the coming decade, considering large onshore and offshore wind plants which are currently under development.
