The Environmental and Conservation Issues Room
See more at the link https://maghrebwatch.com/2018/05/02/...sahara-desert/
Excerpt:
An amazing transformation has taken place on the dunes below Morocco’s sun-blasted High Atlas mountains.
Against the yellow sand thousands of curved mirrors, each taller than a human, stand in rows. These are part of a solar-power generating plant that is rapidly changing how the whole continent produces its electricity.
The mirrors cover an area of roughly 1.4 million square metres, about the same size as the French capital city of Paris.
The first phase of this plant generated enough electricity to power 650,000 homes when it was switched on in 2016.
By 2020, or even sooner, the $9 billion solar power plant is expected to generate 580 megawatts (MW), enough electricity to power over a million homes.
Perhaps more importantly, the solar farm, near the city of Ouarzazate – known as the gateway to the desert – could also be the doorway to a new era of cleaner energy production in Africa.
Symbolically, the name of the plant – Noor – is an Arabic word meaning “light” and its success could mark the dawn of a new industry for a country that until recently imported 97% of its energy needs.
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