PV sites suitability analysis in the Eastern region of Morocco

• Published in: Sustainable energy technologies and assessments 2016-12, Vol.18, p.6-15
• Main Authors: Alami Merrouni, Ahmed, Mezrhab, Abdelhamid, Mezrhab, Ahmed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Eastern Morocco; Electricity production; GIS; Site suitability; Solar energy
• ISSN: 2213-1388
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seta.2016.09.006

This Paper discusses the possibility of installation of large-scale Photovoltaic (PV) power plants in the Eastern region of Morocco. For this purpose, a large database of land exclusion with “high spatial resolution” has been built. This dataset contains all the information about roads, power grid, vegetation, hydrology, protected areas, etc. The solar irradiation map was created by interpolating the global horizontal irradiation (GHI) measurements of ten meteorological stations distributed on the surface of this region. Furthermore, a simulation of the electrical production, as well as, the performance of a 15MWp Photovoltaic system –similar to the “Lucainena de las Torres” PV project in Almeria, southern Spain– has been conducted under the climate of Oujda city and compared to those calculated under Almeria’s climate. Results show that the Eastern region of Morocco receives a high amount of solar irradiation, with a maximum of 1930kWh.m−2. It also offers a big capability to host PV farms with a surface of 44,863km2, which represents about 75% of its total surface. Moreover, the electrical generation of a PV plant can be considered as high. For instance, the electricity production of a 15MWp – if installed in Oujda city– is about 23,4GWh/a with an annual Performance Ration of 72,3%.