I am Solar Energy.

I am the most abundant energy resource, and I can be harnessed in the form of electricity by solar panels or by concentrated solar power (CSP) systems. The latter technology even circumvents the typical problem of intermittency associated with renewable energy sources, as it allows for the storage of energy.¹ Ethical consumers can power their homes with me with a clear conscience, as their personal contribution to climate mitigation will be offsetting their impacts on land use and ecosystems² , right?

My importance is globally acknowledged, documented in Sustainable Development Goal 7 and in climate change mitigation pathways – though my presence in the global energy share ought to grow considerably if we want to limit global warming.³ My potential, however, is not equally distributed over the globe: naturally, low latitude regions such as North Africa will dispose over more solar resources than areas at a higher latitude.⁴ Moreover, my generation has also attracted public opposition in Western countries, for example because solar installations are deemed to be “eyesores”.⁵ These factors have encouraged the foundation of initiatives such as DESERTEC, which aimed to power 15% of Europe with electricity generated by solar and wind farms in the Middle East and North Africa region.⁶

At Light in the Desert?, I will shine my light on one of the largest CSP projects globally: the Noor Ouarzazate project in Morocco. The project, consisting of several solar power plants, is embedded in a wider energy transition; by 2030, the country aims to source 52% of its energy from renewable energy resources.⁷ However, besides providing renewable energy for the country itself, I am also planned to be supplied to the European grid.⁸

The following blogposts will explore the Noor Ouarzazate program from a political ecology perspective. Follow my story past power struggles, environmental narratives, questions of local land use rights, and broader questions of green grabbing – the “shining light in the desert” might not be shining as bright for everyone.

References
1. Viebahn, P., Lechon, Y. & Trieb, F., 2011. The potential role of concentrated solar power (CSP) in Africa and Europe—A dynamic assessment of technology development, cost development and life cycle inventories until 2050. Energy Policy, 39(8), pp.4420–4430.
2. Tsoutsos, T., Frantzeskaki, N. & Gekas, V., 2005. Environmental impacts from the solar energy technologies. Energy Policy, 33, pp.289–296.
3. Rogelj, J., Shindell, D., Jiang, K., Fifita, S., Forster, P., Ginzburg, V., Handa, C, Kheshgi, H. Kobayashi, S., Kriegler, E., Mundaca, L., Séférian, R., & Vilariño,
M.V., 2018. Mitigation Pathways Compatible with 1.5°C in the Context of Sustainable Development.
4. United Nations Development Programme, 2000. World Energy Assessment: energy and the challenge of sustainability.
5. Pasqualetti, M., 2011. Social barriers to renewable energy landscapes. Geographical Review, 101(2), pp.201–223.
6. Hickman, L., 2011. Could the desert sun power the world? The Guardian, 11 December.
7. Les Ateliers, 2018. Greater Ouarzazate, A 21st-Century Oasis City: Historical Benchmarks and International Visibility.
8. Rignall, K.E., 2016. Solar power, state power, and the politics of energy transition in pre-Saharan Morocco. Environment and Planning A, 48(3), pp.540–557.