Yield analysis and economic assessment for GIS-mapping of large scale solar PV potential and integration in Morocco

Abstract

In this paper, the technical and economic potential of large-scale integration of photovoltaic (PV) power plants in Morocco is assessed. For this purpose, environmental and technical constraints were first evaluated and gathered into a land exclusion map to identify the unsuitable areas for PV deployment. Subsequently, using accurate and high resolution data as well as Geographic Information System (GIS) tools, calculation of the technical potential for three scenarios -based on the plants efficiency- has been conducted. Afterwards, the economic potential -LCOE- was derived. The results indicate that 87.52% of the total area is considered suitable for PV installations. The total technical potential stood at 49,643 TWh/year for the third scenario with a decrease of 5% between the three alternatives. As for the LCOE, the cheapest electricity price is about 0.0331 $/kWh in the Souss-Massa region. These results are with high importance since they highlight the significant large-scale PV potential of Morocco, which can serve as a reference for investors in selecting optimal sites from a technical and economic standpoint.