It is difficult to gauge the impact a Solar Impulse Mission flight has on a host country, but during the fifth day of events in Rabat-Salé airport, unexpected and telling proof was presented to us.

I had the pleasure to speak to Mohamed Saïd Moulin, Director General of Aderee (National Agency for the Development of Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency). Aderee was founded in 1982, initially as the Center for the Development of Renewable Energies (CDER) and recently transformed, in 2010, into a National Agency demonstrating Morocco’s commitment to scale up its clean energy production.

The agency is responsible for the overview of all renewable energy projects throughout the country in an effort to, in the one hand, raise awareness, and in the other, ensure that renewables are placed in the driver’s seat of the country’s energy agenda. 

Recently, the agency has provided 60’000 households in remote areas with the means for local solar power production, but the communities relentlessly proceeded to request a direct connection to the electric power grid, perceiving it as a greater sign of modernization. Surprisingly, since the arrival of the Solar Impulse HB-SIA in Morocco, the opinion about solar power is morphing from antiquated to modern. Moroccan media are talking about the solar aircraft daily, significantly influencing the population’s perception of solar energy and its potential.

“I truly hope that one day there will be a cable connecting Morocco to Switzerland directly to our solar power grid” stated Mr Moulin. His eyes were bursting with enthusiasm as he went on to talk about what could be achieved thanks to solar power: cooking stoves, fridges, cars, etc.  As I spoke to him, I could really feel the enormous potential sunlight has to become the modern energy generator. At this point, all that is left is to wait and see how sun power will connect the Atlas Mountains to the Alps.