The government has launched the construction of a research center dedicated to smart electricity grids in Morocco, in a bid to control the integration of the North African country’s fast-growing renewable energies into its network and manage it optimally.
The institution will be set up by the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in collaboration with the Institute for Research and Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN), as part of phase three of the “Green & Smart Building Park” initiative, which is dedicated to smart grids and sustainable mobility.
The project benefits from the financial support of US$ 8m provided by the Korea International Cooperation Agency.
An insight into the future institution
The future research center will be made up of three laboratories. The first laboratory will be devoted to the modeling, simulation, and optimization of electrical systems while the second laboratory will be dedicated to the automation of quality control of the electricity network.
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The third laboratory, on the other hand, will be dedicated to the micro-network, flow management, and network analysis. This will be equipped with an electrical emulator and a simulator capable of modeling the electrical network of a city the size of Casablanca.
Expectations for the future research center
The center, which will be the first of its kind in Africa upon completion, is expected to make it possible to adapt energy solutions to local contexts and to support the energy efficiency strategy initiated by the kingdom while marking out the route of the electric systems of the smart city and the city of tomorrow.
The work of the center will also enable the country to further consolidate its position as a leader in green energies in the continent. The effective solutions for the integration of renewable energies into the national grid with which it will provide Morocco will be a considerable asset for the latter, which aims to export its skills and experience to all the countries of the African continent.
