A new study by the Imal Initiative for Climate and Development, authored by Anas Hmimad and Rachid Ennassiri, has evaluated Morocco’s decentralized renewable energy systems (DERS) across 12 regions, focusing primarily on rooftop solar.

The research modeled three deployment scenarios—optimistic, median, and pessimistic—to estimate potential electricity generation, installed capacity, avoided emissions, and market value.

Under the optimistic scenario, DERS could produce 66.8 TWh of power from 28.58 GW of installed PV capacity, avoiding 48.19 million tons of CO₂ emissions. The median scenario projects 17.15 GW generating 40.1 TWh, with 28.91 million tons of CO₂ avoided. Even in the pessimistic case, DERS could still deliver 8.57 GW and 20.05 TWh.

The study connects this distributed solar potential with Morocco’s broader low-carbon transition, which aims to have 2.5 million electric vehicles by 2035. The combined battery capacity of these EVs—estimated at 39,420 GWh—could supply up to 98% of charging demand under the optimistic scenario.

Hmimad and Ennassiri called on Moroccan authorities to enforce Law 82-21 on self-generation by 2026, issue decrees for bidirectional metering and compensation, and invest in smart grid infrastructure. They also recommended establishing a National Fund for the Integration of Energy Resources for Depletion to encourage participation from small investors and households.