Installation of a photovoltaic power plant for an agricultural farm in Morocco

Alpha Gri is a Moroccan agricultural company located in the Souss-Massa region, specializing in the cultivation of tomatoes. Alpha Gri’s products are marketed both in the local and international markets. Its products are highly sought after and renowned for their exquisite taste.

To improve its productivity and reduce its energy consumption, Alpha Gri decided to use solar photovoltaic energy as an alternative energy source from the grid to cover its electrical needs for water pumping. For this investment, the company called on the Green Value Chain team to benefit from the financing and technical assistance offered by the program.

The investment involves the installation of a 75 kWp photovoltaic solar system to cover the farm’s electricity needs for water pumping. The production of photovoltaic electricity promotes the use of green energy, helping to reduce recurring pumping costs and improve the viability and competitiveness of farms. Solar pump irrigation is characterized by higher investment costs than other techniques, but much lower operating and maintenance costs.

This investment has enabled the company to further improve its competitiveness by reducing the cost of its electricity bill by almost €11,500, and to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 77 tCO2eq per year.

Green Value Chain (GVC) in Morocco is a credit facility of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to provide funding to local partner financial institutions for on-lending to Moroccan SMEs belonging to agribusiness, processing industries and logistics value chains and ecosystems. Supported by the European Union, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Korean Technical Assistance and Cooperation Account (KTACA) and the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund (EBRD SSF), the facility aims to improve competitiveness of SMEs and that of their value chains and ecosystems through highly efficient green investments.