The aircraft, which takes off without a single drop of fuel, flew over the future site of the first power plant of the Ouarzazate solar complex in the evening, where one of the largest thermo-solar stations in the world is located.
Bolstered by an ambitious solar plan, launched in 2009 under the impetus of H.M. King Mohammed VI, Morocco aims to build five solar parks by 2020, which will eventually avoid the emission of 3.7 million tonnes of CO2. This is a medium- and long-term strategy, the main component of which is the Moroccan National Plan for Solar Energy, which relies on the production of 2,000 Megawatts (MW) by 2020. It will also allow Morocco to honour the commitments made during the two United Nations climate summits and within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean. The Ouarzazate power plant will eventually cover
3,040 hectares in a desert area some 9 km from the city. Its production is expected to reach 500 MW. The first phase paves the way for the realisation of a production of 160 MW, consequently avoiding the emission of 240,000 tonnes of CO2. In November 2011, the World Bank granted Morocco a loan of 297 million dollars, equivalent to 2.4 billion DH, for the development of the first phase of the solar power plant project in Ouarzazate. The French Development Agency contributed to the financing of this structuring project in July of the same year, with a grant of 300,000 euros (3.4 million dirhams). These funds reflect the importance of this major national project, the presentation ceremony of which was presided over by H.M. the King on 2 November 2009, in the presence of, among others, the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
The implementation of the project is supervised by the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy.
Five sites have been identified for the launch of this project, which is part of the energy strategy drawn up in accordance with the High directives of the Sovereign. In addition to Ouarzazate, these are the sites of Ain Bni Mathar, Foum Al Oued, Boujdour and Sebkhat Tah.
On 6 June, the experimental aircraft landed at Rabat-Salé airport, following its first intercontinental flight from Switzerland to Morocco, a distance of 2,500 km without fuel. It came from Madrid, where it made a technical stopover. "Solar Impulse is happy to join forces with MASEN to show that it is possible to reduce dependence on fossil fuels," said the founder and co-pilot of Solar Impulse, Bertrand Piccard, at the time. Solar Impulse is the first aircraft designed to fly day and night without fuel or polluting emissions, thanks to solar energy. For this aircraft, which is heading towards Ouarzazate for its longest journey, it follows an inaugural trip to Brussels and then Paris last year.
To reach its destination, the aircraft, piloted in relays by André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, flew over the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean.
The promoters of Solar Impulse had announced at the end of last March that this trip would coincide with the launch of the construction in Ouarzazate of the largest thermo-solar power plant ever built to date.
Seven years of work were required by a team of 70 people and 80 partners to build this carbon fibre aircraft, with a wingspan of an Airbus A340
(63.4 m) and the weight of an average family car (1,600 kg).
Interest shown by the Kingdom in clean energy
The Moroccan solar plan, launched in 2009, aims to reduce energy dependence and CO2 emissions and to achieve North/South regional integration, while the world faces disasters due to the irrational use of fossil fuels. This plan highlights the interest shown by the Kingdom in clean energy, which now constitutes a lever for sustainable development, and envisages increasing the share of renewable energy in the country's total electricity production capacity to 42% by 2020. In addition to the power plant, which covers an area of 460 ha and will have a capacity of 160 MW, Morocco intends to carry out other similar projects in Ain Béni Mathar, Foum Loued, Boujdour and Sebkat Tah, with the aim of meeting the country's energy needs, producing electricity at the best cost and creating jobs. Dedicated to thermo-solar technologies with parabolic trough collectors with thermal storage, the Ouarzazate power plant project will commission 500 MW by 2015.
The project for this power plant has been welcomed by the international community. Indeed, the president of the World Bank Group indicated that this Bretton Woods institution is proud to provide the necessary financing for the realisation of this large-scale investment.
The said project, which confirms Morocco's commitment to low-carbon growth, will be able to demonstrate the enormous potential of solar energy in the Middle East and North Africa countries, he said.
It is a pioneering project that clearly shows that the clean technologies we are promoting with Solar Impulse have their place in everyday life, said Bertrand Piccard, pilot and initiator of the cockpit project.
