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Japanese company to design and install an innovative battery energy storage system in Ouarzazate, Morocco

02 March 2018

Japanese company to design and install an innovative battery energy storage system in Ouarzazate, Morocco

VIENNA/TOKYO, 2 March 2018 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Morocco have stepped up their collaboration in the field of renewable energy through the signing of a contract with Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.  to design and install Vanadium Flow Battery (VFB) technology as an innovative Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).  The technology will be developed to connect with the existing 1MW concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system run by the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) in Ouarzazate as part of the Low Carbon Low Emission Clean Energy Technology Transfer (LCET) Programme.

The VFB technology  project is the first collaborative activity under the technical collaboration agreement signed by the Director General of UNIDO, LI Yong, and the President of MASEN, Mustapha Bakkoury on the margins of the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in November 2016.

In October 2017, UNIDO, the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development of the Kingdom of Morocco and MASEN launched a project aimed at stabilizing electricity output generated from renewable energy sources, such as the CPV, for grid connection, as well as mini-grids, by introducing BESS technology for further dissemination in Morocco and surrounding African countries.

 

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., part of Sumitomo group, is a diversified global company that contributes to the development of social infrastructure through its innovative R&D activities and extensive business operations in areas such as energy, automotive, information and communications, electronics, electric wire and cable, and industrial materials. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. employs more than 200,000 people in over 30 countries worldwide, with over 80% of the workforce being non-Japanese.

This partnership with the private sector complements UNIDO’s ongoing activities in Morocco in line with the government’s national strategic priorities in the field of renewables, while also addressing SDGs 7, 9, 13 and 17.

For further information, please contact:

Takeshi Nagasawa

Senior Programme Management Expert, Department of Energy, UNIDO

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