ABSTRACT

This chapter analyzes Morocco’s energy system and its renewable energy policies. Morocco’s sociotechnical imaginary for energy treats renewable energy as part of national pride and socially sustainable development and reflects a dialectic between Morocco’s past and its vision for a desirable future. The Moroccan Solar Plan is couched in terms of Morocco’s quest for a charismatic centralized technology that will bring it national pride by exploiting the country’s renewable energy wealth, and that will make up for its lack of fossil fuel resources. Morocco is pursuing CSP over cheaper renewable energy technologies because of CSP’s relationship to Morocco’s development needs. The state frames the Moroccan Solar Plan as addressing various socioeconomic challenges by providing energy for industrialization, achieving energy security, securing foreign direct investment, encouraging job growth, avoiding poor educational outcomes, and developing an R&D policy. Recently, some social movements have called into question the inclusivity of Morocco’s sustainable development goals and the importance of the participation of citizens in equitable and sustainable development. This chapter argues that without recognition and distributive justice for present generations, the natural capital left to future generations will continue to be unevenly distributed among social groups, even if equivalent amounts are sustained between generations.