The Noor Solar Complex near Ouarzazate is one of the world's largest concentrated solar power plants, spreading across 3,000 hectares at the edge of the Sahara. Noor I uses 500,000 curved mirrors arranged in parabolic troughs. Noor III features a 243-meter solar tower — a man-made minaret of energy — surrounded by 7,400 heliostats. The complex can generate 580 MW, enough to power a city of 2 million. It represents Morocco's ambition to generate 52% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. The visual impact is extraordinary: thousands of mirrors reflecting Saharan light, visible from space.
Sources
- MASEN (2016) Noor-Ouarzazate Technical Documentation
- World Bank (2018) Morocco Solar Program Assessment