Data Module 063 — Energy Intelligence
Morocco’s
Solar Atlas
A country that imports 90% of its energy is building the world’s largest concentrated solar power complex. Noor Ouarzazate alone powers a million homes. The target: 52% renewable by 2030. This is the infrastructure of ambition.
001 — The Noor Ouarzazate Complex
Four Phases, One Desert
580 MW across 3,000+ hectares. Three CSP technologies and one PV plant. Near the ancient fortress of Ait-Ben-Haddou, where Lawrence of Arabia and Game of Thrones were filmed.
Noor I
160 MW
Area: 450 hectares
Storage: 3 hours (molten salt)
Commissioned: February 2016
The first phase. 12-metre-tall parabolic mirrors track the sun, concentrating heat onto a tube of synthetic oil, which generates steam to drive turbines. Wet cooling system. Connected to the grid 5 February 2016. Offsets 240,000 tonnes CO₂/year.
Noor II
200 MW
Area: 680 hectares
Storage: 7 hours (molten salt)
Commissioned: January 2018
Larger troughs, longer storage. Switched to dry cooling to reduce water consumption in the arid Draa-Tafilalet region. Seven hours of storage means electricity after sunset. Supplies power to approximately one million people.
Noor III
150 MW
Area: 750 hectares
Storage: 7 hours (molten salt)
Commissioned: December 2018
A 243-metre tower surrounded by 7,400 heliostats. Sunlight is concentrated onto a receiver at the top, heating molten salt to 565°C. The tower is visible from 20 km away. Suffered a molten salt leak in February 2024 ($47M loss), repaired and restarted by late 2024.
Noor IV
72 MW
Area: 137 hectares
Storage: None
Commissioned: 2018
Polycrystalline PV modules with sun-tracking systems. The cost comparison: Noor IV's PV cost $78M versus the billions for CSP. This is the technology that has since won the global cost race, but without CSP's ability to store heat and generate at night.
Morocco showed all other countries that it’s possible, whatever your position in the world, to succeed.
— Youssef Stitou, MASEN Project Engineer
002 — Solar Projects Map
MASEN’s Solar Network
Click markers for project details.
003 — Solar Irradiance by Region
Where the Sun Hits Hardest
| Region | GHI | DNI | Sunshine | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Sahara (Ouarzazate, Zagora, Errachidia) | 2,100–2,264 kWh/m²/yr | 2,200–2,500+ kWh/m²/yr | 3,000–3,400 h/yr | Morocco's solar heartland. Site of Noor Ouarzazate. Among the world's top 5 DNI zones. |
| Anti-Atlas & Deep South (Tata, Guelmim, Tan-Tan) | 2,000–2,200 kWh/m²/yr | 2,100–2,400 kWh/m²/yr | 3,000–3,200 h/yr | Site of proposed Xlinks generation. Excellent wind + solar co-location. Noor Tata planned here. |
| Middle Atlas & Central Plateau (Midelt, Beni Mellal) | 1,900–2,100 kWh/m²/yr | 2,000–2,300 kWh/m²/yr | 2,800–3,100 h/yr | Site of Noor Midelt. High altitude (1,500m+) increases DNI clarity. Cold winters improve PV efficiency. |
| Atlantic Plain (Marrakech, Agadir) | 1,800–2,000 kWh/m²/yr | 1,800–2,100 kWh/m²/yr | 2,800–3,000 h/yr | Major population centers. Irradiation exceeds 5.5 kWh/m²/day. Excellent for distributed rooftop PV. |
| Northern Morocco (Tangier, Fes, Rabat) | 1,600–1,900 kWh/m²/yr | 1,500–1,800 kWh/m²/yr | 2,400–2,800 h/yr | Lowest irradiance in Morocco — still higher than Germany (1,050 kWh/m²/yr), which leads Europe in solar capacity. |
004 — The Electricity Mix
What Powers Morocco Today
Coal still dominates. But the trajectory is clear.
~38%
Coal
Declining
Still largest single source. 68% in 2022.
~18%
Natural Gas
Stable
LNG imports increasing. Pipeline from Algeria.
~15%
Wind
Growing
1,430+ MW installed. Target: 4,200 MW by 2030.
~7%
Solar
Growing fast
831 MW installed. Target: 4,560 MW by 2030.
~5%
Hydro
Declining (drought)
Dam capacity exists but drought reduces output.
~17%
Oil + Other
Declining
Diesel backup + imports. Energy dependence ~90%.
005 — Timeline
From Strategy to Megawatts
King Mohammed VI launches the Moroccan Solar Plan: 2,000 MW solar by 2020
MASEN (Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy) established
Ain Beni Mathar ISCC commissioned — Morocco's first solar thermal plant (20 MW)
Noor I construction begins at Ouarzazate
Morocco raises target: 52% renewable electricity by 2030 (20% solar, 20% wind, 12% hydro)
Noor I CSP (160 MW) commissioned. Morocco hosts COP22 in Marrakech
Noor II (200 MW), Noor III (150 MW), and Noor IV (72 MW) commissioned. Complex reaches 580 MW
Noor Midelt I procurement launched — world's first hybrid CSP+PV at scale
Xlinks Morocco–UK Power Project announced: 11.5 GW generation, 3.6 GW delivered via 4,000 km subsea HVDC
Noor III molten salt leak ($47M loss). Repaired and restarted. 4,680 MW renewable capacity operational nationwide
UK government rejects Xlinks CfD. Xlinks explores alternative routes. Morocco reaches ~831 MW installed solar
Target: 52% of installed capacity from renewables. Noor Midelt fully operational. Total solar target: 4,560 MW
The same PV panels generate approximately three times more power in Morocco than in the UK, and five times more from January to March.
— Xlinks testimony to UK Parliament
006 — Key Numbers
The Data
11,987 MW
Total installed capacity
As of 2024. Thermal 6,676 MW.
4,680 MW
Renewable capacity operational
Solar + wind + hydro combined.
831 MW
Solar capacity installed
510 MW CSP + 321 MW PV.
$2.5B+
Noor Ouarzazate investment
World Bank, EIB, AfDB, KfW, CTF.
690,000
Tonnes CO₂ offset/year
Noor Ouarzazate complex alone.
9th
Global solar radiation ranking
Per MASEN. Top 5 for DNI.
Sources
Wikipedia — Ouarzazate Solar Power Station: Noor I–IV specs, 580 MW total, ACWA Power, molten salt storage
Wikipedia — Solar Power in Morocco: MASEN, 2,000 MW target, Spain-Morocco interconnection 900 MW
Wikipedia — Xlinks Morocco–UK Power Project: 11.5 GW, 4,000 km HVDC, UK rejection June 2025
MASEN / Energy Partnership Morocco-Germany: Noor III restart, 4,680 MW renewable operational, KfW €830M
Morocco World News: NOOR success story, 1.1M people powered, 690,000t CO₂ offset, Africa context
Morocco World News: SolarPower Europe report, GHI 2,264 kWh/m²/yr, 831 MW solar installed, 52% target
MDPI — Solar Energy Resource Morocco: DNI 2,200–2,500+ kWh/m²/yr, 9th global, Noor Midelt hybrid, IRENA data
ResearchGate — Renewable Energy Potential Morocco: irradiance maps, wind 25 GW potential, 5.5 kWh/m²/day zones
CIF — Ouarzazate: 3,500 soccer fields, 2M mirrors, CSP thermal storage technology explainer
UK Parliament — Xlinks written evidence: 3× more power than UK, 34% solar load factor, 20% better GHI than Spain
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This visualization may not be reproduced without visible attribution.
Sources: MASEN, IRENA, World Bank