A giant plant using energy from the Sun to power a Moroccan city at night will open next month.
The solar thermal plant at Ouarzazate will harness the Sun’s warmth to melt salt, which will hold its heat to power a steam turbine in the evening.
The first phase will generate for three hours after dark; the last stage aims to supply power 20 hours a day. The developers say phase one of the futuristic complex will bring energy to a million people, BBC reported.
It is part of Morocco’s pledge to get 42% of its electricity from renewables by 2020.
The Ouarzazate solar thermal plant will be one of the world’s biggest when it is complete. The mirrors will cover the same area as the country’s capital, Rabat.
Morocco has been 98% dependent on imported fossil fuels, but the country is planning to capitalize on its vast capacity of Atlantic wind, mountain hydropower and scorching Saharan sun.
