Morocco prioritises world's largest solar plant

Project is the centrepiece of a strategy that promises to generate more than half of its electricity from renewables by 2030

Morocco's status as a global poster-boy for renewable energy was confirmed in May when it signed a $780mn contract to build Noor Midelt, a plant that solves solar energy's biggest problem: what happens when the sun goes down? The plant, to be built by a French-led consortium, combines two solar technologies to give it daytime and after-dark power generation. It will be the jewel in the crown of an impressive strategy. Morocco's 10-year renewables strategy runs like a blueprint for turning dreams into reality. It began in 2009 when the government confronted a looming energy crunch. Mass electrification during the 1990s brought electricity into almost every home, but also led to power demand i