Morocco has inaugurated a solar-powered school in Africa’s first solar village. This is an additional asset for the Id Mjahdi solar village pilot project in the Essaouira region of northwestern region of the country.
The Id Mjahdi solar project
The Id Mjahdi Educational Centre consists of two classrooms, a sports field and a playground. It is dedicated to promoting pre-school education for children aged 4 to 5 in the village and neighbouring areas. The opening of this school marks a new stage in the development of the solar village of Id Mjahdi.
The Moroccan complex, which has all its infrastructure powered by solar energy, is a first, not only for the kingdom, but also for the rest of the continent. In addition to the newly opened school, there are houses supplied with green electricity from the installation of a solar photovoltaic power plant with battery storage and a mini-grid to meet the needs of the local population.
Also Read:Gambia launches tender for 150 MW solar project
Project financing
The project is financed by a collective sponsorship deployed by Le Petit Olivier, Intermarché and the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Research and Protection of the Argan Tree, the Province of Essaouira, the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen) through the company “Cleanergy”, the municipality of Ounagha, and companies operating in the solar, fair trade and sustainable development sectors.
The project also aims to collectively fight, through the creation of a mini electricity grid, against the chore of water for the village’s young girls, to contribute to the population’s education and awareness of solar energy, to ensure the village’s independence in electricity, as well as the training and development of local Moroccan skills in the photovoltaic installations sector.
Morocco has made major leaps in the field of renewable energy in general. According to the Moroccan Ministry of Energy, Mines and Environment, 3,700MW of solar, wind and hydroelectric power are already operational, bringing the share of renewable energy to about 34% of installed electricity capacity.
