Drought-hit Morocco deploys floating solar panels to protect water reserves
Morocco is using ‘floatovoltaic’ panels to reduce evaporation while also generating green energy to power a major port
Sun-baked Morocco, grappling with its worst drought in decades, has launched a pilot project aimed at slowing water evaporation while simultaneously generating green energy using floating solar panels.
At a major reservoir near the northern city of Tangier, thousands of so-called “floatovoltaic” panels protect the water’s surface from the blazing sun and absorb its light to generate electricity.
Authorities plan to power the neighbouring Tanger Med port complex with the resulting energy, and if it proves a success, the technology could have far wider implications for the North African kingdom.
According to official figures, Morocco’s water reserves lost the equivalent of more than 600 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day to evaporation between October 2022 and September 2023.
Over that same period, temperatures averaged 1.8 degrees Celsius (3.24 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than normal, meaning water evaporated at a higher rate.