Green Hydrogen Production in Morocco: From Just Scratching the Surface to Large-Scale Feasibility

Ernst and Young’s 2021 Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index placed Morocco in 16th place in the world—quite admirably sandwiched between Denmark and Sweden—and with the top potential on the entire African Continent.
Part of the equation of Morocco maintaining and even improving its standing will undoubtedly revolve around its ability to produce green hydrogen on a large scale and thus replacing “dirty” carbon-based methods of energy production.
Detailed cost-benefit analyses and their corresponding rates of return on investment must be considered in determining the best approaches to realizing maximum potential in any scientific study, and the renewable energy sector is especially sensitive to these requirements.
A study involving the yield and production cost of electrolytic hydrogen on a large scale—from different classes of solar technologies and varying by climatic zones—was conducted in Morocco in 2020, as reported by the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
Specifically, a techno-economic analysis was funded involving four different power plant types over five different Moroccan meteorological stations, each located in a different climatic zone.
Though the processes of water electrolysis (the conversion of water into hydrogen and oxygen by way of electric current) and the ensuing separation of hydrogen from the oxygen are considered labor-intensive, the final costs were surprisingly low and competitive with those of other nations (i.e., Spain and South Africa), coming in at well under $6 USD/kg.
As Morocco imports more than 96% of its energy to meet domestic needs, hydrogen will hold the key to self-reliance, as energy demand is expected to almost triple by 2030.
Challenges to overcome will include fine-tuning technology so that the costs of production—including loss from energy transfer—are minimized; increasing storage capacity; and decreasing the cost of long-range transport.
Morocco is a nation fortunate to record not only 3,500+ annual sunshine hours in certain regions, but also coastal trade wind patterns which yield breezes consistently sufficient in speed to produce an enviable amount of renewable energy, as well.
As an exclusive commitment to any one type of alternative energy generation discussed here might still prove cost prohibitive at this time, green hydrogen production through the water electrolysis / separation process is likely to be an effective complement to solar and wind power.