Parabolic Trough Plant Performance In Morocco For Techno-economic Evaluation: A Case Study Of Noor 1

Noor 1 is a parabolic trough concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in Morocco, about 10 km to the north-east of Ouarzazate. It concerns the first and largest cylindrical-parabolic mirror complex in Africa. With a nominal capacity of 160 Mwe, the plant covers 480 hectares of solar field. Masen is operating the project, which cost over 7,000 million MAD, while Acwa Power, a Saudi group, owns and operates it on a BOOT basis. Comparative analysis reveals that Noor 1 costs 1.62 dirhams per kWh. Although officially placed at the end of 2015, the plant’s commercial operation date is January 26, 2016. In this study two configurations are employed for the simulations, leveraging the System Advisor Model tool to assess each model’s performance. A critical review of these configurations was conducted by comparing the input-output correlations against actual data reported from the Noor 1 plant. This review process allows evaluation of the accuracy and reliability of each model, ensuring the simulated outputs closely match real-world operational data. This correlation analysis provided insights into the models’ robustness, facilitating informed adjustments and optimizations for accurate techno-economic evaluations.