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Electrification of isolated areas by

interconnecting renewable sources : a


sustainable approach
B. Michelon*, A. Nejmi**, J. Dos Ghali*, A. Dahman Sadi*** and J.-C. Bolay*
*cole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne (Switzerland)
**Faculty of Science and Technology, Beni-Mellal University (Morocco)
***Hassan II Institute of Agronomics and Veterinary Science (Morocco)

Abstract-- The cole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne, projects due to high costs and technical difficulties. Yet,
the Hassan II Institute of Agronomics and Veterinary for broad segments of these populations, electricity is a
Science (IAV), and Targa-Aid association undertook a joint high-priority need that would help improve their living
project to develop a technique for producing electrical conditions and bring their standard of living closer to that
energy from renewable primary energy sources to supply of urban areas.
small networks of isolated consumers. Specific attention was
paid to sustainable development issues, namely, the
integration of social, environmental, and technical On the strength of this observation, the cole
components. The project was carried out in the Ouneine Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne (EPFL), together
Valley (Morocco). The project aimed to implement a with the Hassan II Institute of Agronomics and
technical transfer program and to improve the populations Veterinary Science, and the Targa-Aid non-governmental
ability to absorb innovations such as rural electrification by organization, decided to jointly develop and implement a
isolated micro-grid. In seven selected villages the technique for producing electrical energy from several
infrastructures for the network connections were renewable primary energy sources (water, solar, wind
successfully implemented through a participatory process. power, biogaz) so as to supply small, isolated consumer
The project also comprised a research component aimed at
gaining an understanding of the interfaces between the
networks, with the possibility of interconnecting them.
technical and sociological levels. It was felt that such an This technique was to be tried in the Ouneine Valley (in
understanding was critical to the implementation of local the Upper Atlas area of Morocco).
development projects.
II. THE STAKES OF DECENTRALIZED RURAL
Index terms - Rural electrification Renewable energy ELECTRIFICATION
Technology transfer Social implementation Sustainable
development
The stakes involved in implementing a micro-grid are
socioeconomic, environmental and technical.
I. INTRODUCTION A. A needed increase in income
Many developing countries, particularly Less Among the various parts of Morocco, the mountainous
Developed Countries (LDC), are notoriously energy- regions have great potential for tourism and economic
poor, especially in terms of electricity. There is development, which unfortunately is only too rarely used
considerable disparity in electrical consumption between to advantage. This fact was mentioned in the National
countries with a low versus high Human Development and Regional Development Plan (SNAT), which extolled
Index, as demonstrated by United Nations Development the virtues of the mountain regions while at the same time
Program (UNDP) statistics. Available figures suggest that making a very unfavorable diagnosis of the situation:
this gap between poor and affluent countries is not about Morocco exists thanks to its mountains. They are the
to be filled. The International Energy Agency estimates founts of life, the water towers that nourish the plains
that 1.6 billion persons currently still have no access to below () Today, the mountains are suffering all the ill
electricity. In 1980, the amount of electrical energy used effects of neglect: overpopulation, isolation, lack of
by a resident of Switzerland in four days was the same as equipment, economic weakness, and social misery. [1]
the amount used by a resident of a moderately advanced
country in a year. Currently, the figure is three days. So The Ouneine Valley is located in the mountainous Upper
the terms of trade have deteriorated, with the Atlas region, which is one of the poorest in Morocco. It is
industrialized countries consuming increasingly more, affected by problems related to isolation, by an advanced
comparatively speaking, than less developed countries. use of natural resources and by the absence of an
integrated local development dynamic.
The situation is even more disastrous in isolated rural
areas, which are often neglected by electrification Cultivation of crop trees (almond, carob, olive, and
walnut) and stockbreeding (cattle, sheep, and goats) make
up most of the valleys economy, i.e., 72% of its GDP. So
This work was supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation.
the productive resources are fairly diversified, which is

1-4244-0632-3/07/$20.00 2007 IEEE. 33


typical of the economy of mountain agricultural production networks and tend to implement their own
operations. These operations are modest, but alternating strategies, which compromise their immediate
harvests with the sale of animal products as well as environment. In Morocco, rural populations (45% of the
supplementary inputs from seasonal or permanent total population) still have very limited access to
migration allows families to survive. Still, 11.5% of electricity and gas. Wood is the main energy source used
households have no land and are forced to work for for cooking and heating, representing 90% of a rural
others, which is one of the main indicators of poverty in households energy consumption. Cooking and heating
the valley. stoves consume large amounts of combustible fuels and
emit significant quantities of CO2 and noxious smoke.
Services and commerce make up 7% of the valleys GDP. The CO2 emissions have severe consequences for the
This figure, though modest, is significant for an isolated climate, and overuse of wood harms the environment by
mountain zone, considering the peoples limited contributing to desertification. [5]
purchasing power. The souk (marketplace), which is the
hub of the Ouneine Valleys economic activities, is of In this context, the mountains are special ecosystems that
prime importance: it is the indispensable weekly should be preserved. The mountains are an important
gathering place for heads of household, since that is reservoir for water, energy and biological diversity.
where all information circulates and the point through Furthermore, they contain essential resources such as
which most economic transactions pass. Because it minerals, forest and agricultural products, and
represents a micro-center of embryonic urbanization, its recreational services. In their role as major ecosystems
electrification is a high-priority stage on the way to within the complex ecology of our planet, mountain
meeting the goals, in particular the encouragement of new environments are essential to the survival of the world
income-generating activities. ecosystem. Yet mountain ecosystems are undergoing
rapid change. They are at risk of accelerated soil erosion,
B. Preserving the mountain environment
landslides, and rapid loss of habitat and genetic diversity.
Goal 7 of the Millennium Development Goals adopted by On a human level, poverty is widespread among
the 191 Member States of the United Nations aims to mountain residents and the knowledge of indigenous
integrate the principles of sustainable development into populations is being lost. As a result, most of the worlds
country policies and programs; reverse loss of mountainous areas are subject to degradation of their
environmental resources. [2] environment. That is why appropriate management of
mountain resources and the socioeconomic development
In the Millennium Declaration, we can also see a of mountain populations deserve immediate action. [6]
rethinking of production and consumption modes that
might turn out to cause pollution: The current C. Suggesting a specific technical response
unsustainable patterns of production and consumption As a technology and a development tool,
must be changed in the interest of our future welfare and electrification must satisfy the three criteria that form an
that of our descendants. [3] This is the case for many integral part of sustainable development: social equity,
modes of energy production that use fossil-fuel energy environmental protection, and economic efficiency.
and so produce noxious wastes that are harmful to the
environment. To date, decentralized energy production in
developing countries has often been tied to a single
This situation is found in Morocco, where there are few energy source (diesel, solar, hydroelectric, wind, or
local energy resources. National production depends on biogas) and supplied a single dwelling or a single village.
non-renewable resources such as hydrocarbons and coal, Such production systems are isolated, and for that reason,
which are the countrys main primary energy sources. are uncertain in nature and depend heavily on weather
According to an assessment done for an African conditions and resource availability. They cannot
Development Bank project, the countrys energy guarantee reliability or a secure supply. Most of the time,
dependence rate, which measures the share of imported these production facilities are delivered as turnkey
energy in supplying the national energy demand, is on the systems and are poorly adapted to the region (since they
order of 97%. The contribution of the hydroelectric take into account neither the local context, in particular
infrastructure to meeting the countrys energy needs the strengths and weaknesses of the installation site, nor
varies greatly depending on rainfall. Though this figure the possibility of ownership by the recipients). In
was 17% in 1996 and 1997, hydropower was able to meet addition, it is extremely difficult to monitor such facilities
only 8.6% of the countrys energy needs in 2003. Wind because they use imported technology with high
power, which has been available since 2000, still has a production costs. Such projects neglect the regional
marginal share: 53.5 MW in 2003, though the countrys dimension.
wind energy potential is estimated at 6,000 MW. [4]
As we write, electrical energy distribution facilities
At the same time, it is also appropriate to devote some consisting often of a hybrid micro-grid with multiple
attention to the methods used in managing the natural sources of primary energy (multiple injection) are using
environment of mountainous areas, because rural only two different sources of renewable energy.
populations often are not well served by large energy

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Some applications have been successful and others development through suitably adapted, sustainable
less so, due to the difficulty of taking into account all of electrification.
the constraints, which can be social (demographic - Training: This area focused on developing
growth, low level of education, scattered dwellings), multidisciplinary expertise in the areas of renewable
technological (sophistication of imported equipment, lack energy and decentralized multiple-injection electrical
of maintenance), environmental (limited energy micro-grids that are suitable for isolated areas
resources), economic (very low incomes, investments), or (laboratories, internships, seminars, training of trainers).
political (lack of suitable active program).
The projects success was related to the number and
Thus, it would seem appropriate to suggest an interaction of its components. Training, development, the
approach able to clearly define how one should notion of consulting, and the socioeconomic impact were
implement a decision-support process for choosing the all deemed to be inseparable from the projects
optimal electrification system. implementation and follow-up. This type of problem
therefore required a comprehensive and multidisciplinary
III. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS approach.
The primary objective of the Decentralized Rural A. A decision-support process for choosing the optimal
Electrification (ERD) project was to develop a electrification system
technology for the production of electrical energy from This research-action project concerned the creation of a
several types of renewable primary energy sources decentralized electrical micro-grid able to supply several
(water, solar or wind energy, biogaz) to supply small villages, with multi-source production, the advantage of
networks of isolated consumers, with the possibility of which lies both in equal access for all villages, and their
interconnecting these networks. It was felt that such a inhabitants, and in the sharing of natural resources.
decentralized micro-grid should be compatible with the
national network to allow for future connection. However, the solution had to be the most appropriate one
given the existing socioeconomic, environmental and
Still, the institutions responsible for this research-action technical constraints.
project agreed from its inception that the use of
decentralized energy production techniques made sense From a socioeconomic perspective, three issues were
only if it was incorporated into an overall regional noted: the cost of the electricity, such that it corresponds
development context and helped improve the living as much as possible to the peoples ability to contribute;
conditions and income of the rural populations. future needs, such that the amount that must be produced
to meet demand can be evaluated; and finally, ownership
For this reason, a consensus was quickly formed with by the residents in such a way as to encourage good
regard to the projects objectives, which were: management of the infrastructure.
- to participate in promoting the sustainable development
of the Ouneine Valley by supplying quality electricity to Environmentally speaking, it was agreed to attempt to
a group of villages by means of a decentralized micro- make the best use of natural resources to produce clean
grid powered by various renewable energy sources, and energy, but also to respect the environment and the
- to gain new knowledge and experience in the area of landscape when installing the micro-grid.
rural electrification on both the technical and sociological
levels. The ERD project was seen as a pilot project for Finally, the technical constraints were:
isolated areas. - to maintain unchanged the irrigation flow and the water
distribution in turn,
In order to achieve these objectives, the EPFL and Targa- - to guarantee a sufficient supply of electrical energy over
Aid worked together in the context of a research-action time (control, operational and maintenance facilities,
project with three areas of focus: etc.),
- Research and development: This area involved - to ensure the adequacy of the electricity produced and
developing a methodology for a comprehensive approach, distributed with respect to large grids (constant voltage
along with suitable software, for a comprehensive and frequency, no harmonics). In order to achieve this,
approach to producing and distributing decentralized each units control system had to be capable of operating
electrical energy from multiple renewable sources (1) while connected to the relevant decentralized micro-
(optimal simulation, optimal design and management); grid, (2) in isolation if necessary, and (3) while connected
these had to incorporate both the technical and to the supposedly inflexible national grid.
socioeconomic aspects, and be reproducible.
- Implementation at a field site: In this case, the site was In order to deal with these various constraints, it was
the Ouneine Valley in the Upper Atlas area of Morocco, deemed necessary to undertake several complementary
with the establishment of a multiple-injection electrical measures at the same time.
micro-grid connecting 18 villages, geographically
distributed over three areas; and promotion of local From a socioeconomic point of view, a number of
surveys were taken to evaluate the residents resources

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and changes in consumption over ten years, creating a - incorporation of local knowledge that could be
typology of the populations needs (including the creation combined with the scientific aspects and new
of activities that use electricity, but also demographic technologies,
growth rates and incomes). - participation in the costs, construction and management
of the network.
From an environmental standpoint, it was essential to
select the renewable energies to be used as soon as the Participation by households took several forms:
project was designed. - in cash, through disbursements for indoor electrical
installations (after the energy meter) and low-voltage
Finally, on the technical level, to help select the best works,
solution among several production variants, taking all of - in kind, through workdays at the various construction
the constraints into account, the EPFL developed the sites. The commitment of the residents in the first area of
OptElDec software, a simulation based decision support the project was quite remarkable in this regard, as
tool. [7] construction of the penstock and the hydroelectric micro-
plants irrigation canal represented respectively between
The data, as processed by the OptElDec program, led to forty and fifty days of work per household.
the selection of an electrical energy production and
distribution system for the three selected areas in the Additionally, in order to assure local autonomy of
valley (18 villages, 440 households) that consisted of: operation, the interior electrical fixtures in homes and the
- two hydroelectric power plants, low-voltage distribution system were built by technicians
- one wind-powered plant, and from the electrified villages, who were trained on site.
- one photovoltaic power plant. Similarly, once the first micro-plant was constructed, it
was operated by a local technician after training.
Then, it was necessary, for the chosen system, to verify
its static and dynamic behavior, using the SIMSEN1 It should be clearly noted that the participatory process
software developed by EPFL. Particularly, that was not without glitches, rough spots and dead stops. It
simulation allows to designing the final technical required long periods of dialogue and mediation, which
characteristics for control and safety equipments. sometimes led to a radical shift in the direction of project
implementation. As described in a report by the High
Subsequent phases consisted in building these power Council of French International Cooperation (HCCI),
plants, with heavy involvement by local residents. participation can be an asset for finding innovative
solutions to the contradictions that crop up between the
B. A local participatory approach
various development objectives. Dialogue is planned into
A participatory approach is essential for development cooperative mechanisms. But is it possible? It can bring
projects, with the goal of making the technical changes out conflicts, hence the usefulness of mediation and
sustainable. As noted by Bassand, Galland and Joye support tools during the emergence of powers and
(1992), introducing science and technology into society opposition powers. Unrealistic expectations, the political
is not a simple matter of grafting knowledge, expertise, context, the lack of representativeness of the partners, and
practices and techniques onto a social fabric that is not the risk of exploitation are frequent complications. An
ready for them. We do not have science and technology effective participatory process will take criticism and
on one side, and society on the other. On the contrary, the suggestions into account, will allow to some degree for a
first two must become deeply rooted in the latter, and right to make mistakes, and for a possible reversal and
whether or not they can blossom depends on realities that redirection of ways of working, and even of strategic
are simultaneously material, social, economic, cultural, objectives and the logical framework. [9]
historical and political. Likewise, technology is
inextricably tied to culture (values, signs and symbols, C. A North/South exchange
knowledge), social and political organization, and the In accordance with the purpose of scientific cooperation
natural surroundings. [8] in development, the project was intent on accomplishing
The participatory approach and assumption of ownership two things: [10]
by the local population are essential points that were - incorporate the rigor of scientific research,
included in the project design and implementation as well - apply its results from a sustainable development
as the operation and future management of the perspective.
equipment.
For this purpose, three levels of public involvement were Such was the context that gave rise to the cooperation
distinguished during the projects implementation: between the EPFL and its Moroccan partners, the
- identification, through public surveys, of the short- and Hassan II Institute of Agronomics and Veterinary
long-term economic usefulness, as well as the societal Science, and Targa-Aid, as well as to its research-action
demand. This involved evaluating public receptiveness to approach.
ensure the projects social feasibility as regards,
This partnership had the benefit of long experience.
1
For more details, visit http://simsen.epfl.ch. Indeed, for over twenty years, these Moroccan

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institutions have been active in managing research order to implement a research-action project that takes
programs related to the integrated development of fragile into account the complexity of the local society, technical
ecological zones, of which the isolated Ouneine Valley is uncertainties, and conflicting values.
one. Throughout the process, the public expressed
expectations, which gave rise to an experimental program For example, the use of water as an energy source has
at the village level. This integrated rural development significant consequences in an area where it is subject to
program comprised different components incorporating quotas. Thus, the construction of a system for producing
technical and socioeconomic innovations likely to electricity from hydroelectric turbines leads to a
improve the peoples living conditions, and diversify and streamlining of the agricultural water supply. This is an
increase revenue sources. These included the introduction important economic and social issue because it influences
of fish farming, the construction of potable water crop yields. The division of water has been established
networks with individual connections, the creation of for generations and is a customary law. As a result,
water and sanitary systems tied in with the mosque, the arrangements for this change in standards has to be
development of water resources for agricultural use, and made with the landowners in order to guarantee that
the electrification of two villages, one in 1992 via a farmers will have the same water resources as before.
hydroelectric micro-plant at Takordmi, the other in 1999
via a photovoltaic micro-plant at Tighuicht. Therefore, in implementing such projects, it is
appropriate to pin down the psychological, social,
It was based on this knowledge, and the pressing demand economic and political factors that interact with the
from Ouneine residents, that the electrification project selection, development, and spread of technologies. This
came into being. makes it possible to observe how the two normative
systems of standards are sometimes in opposition and at
This partnership dynamic was also in response to a desire other times complementary.
to compare experiences, as well as to exchange and
E. Sustainable management of infrastructures
transfer knowledge and abilities. In the end, it was
designed from the perspective of acting as two scientific A special effort to ensure the sustainable management of
teams, one of whose primary objectives was to suggest a infrastructures was made in designing and implementing
social and technical approach that could be reproduced in the micro-grid management. This required the
other isolated areas. [11] establishment of an entity able to take unique local
characteristics into account.
D. Blending technology and society: adapting the project
to social standards In Morocco, each village has a traditional decision-
The ERD project was conceived as a multidimensional, making body called the jmaa, consisting primarily of
interdisciplinary project able to blend technical and social heads of households (women are excluded). Yet, where
components. management of electrical equipment is concerned, the
jmaa cannot be the decision-making body for the
Of particular interest were the interactions between population because it has no official authority.
technical and social standards.
Thus, responsibility for managing and operating the
A technical standard is a set of customary rules, or project equipment was entrusted to Village Associations
technical instructions, concerning the characteristics of a elected especially for the purpose, or which had been set
product or method, prescribed with the goal of ensuring up previously for other community projects (such as the
that certain methods of operation, safety standards and construction of a mosque or the supply of potable water).
pollution levels are observed. For the ERD project, these The obligations of these Associations, which eventually
technical standards were introduced with the arrival of will become the owners of the facilities, are formalized in
the electricity produced, using a new methodology contracts. Money from electricity payments is deposited
adapted to the local context. into the Associations accounts to cover their expenses.
Sums collected in this way ensure facility maintenance
As for the social standards, Jean Maisoneuve equates and provide funding for new local development projects.
them with behavioral models, concluding that these two
notions describe the type of conduct widely exhibited In each village, the Village Association is also
within a given group, the non-observance of which is responsible for managing use and maintaining the
accompanied by more or less explicit sanctions, and electrical network (electrical energy meter reading,
which the members of the group accept more or less payment for use, facility maintenance, etc).
consciously and completely. [12]
The arrival and development of the project, and the At a higher level, management of the micro-grid
production and implementation of technical standards (production, transport and distribution) is entrusted to a
generated by this electrification project led to disruptions Federation of Village Associations, which consists of
that required technical and social mediation. The representatives of each Village Association involved in
interactions that arise in practice between technical, this action.
social and institutional data must be acknowledged in

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In this context, training workshops were held for question as to whether one can legitimately adopt
members of the Associations involved in the project to technical solutions that meet local needs, yet differ from
provide basic knowledge about the Associations legal national standards.
basis, management, accounting, and project organization.
In the end, these disagreements helped draw attention to
This type of management encourages participation by the fact that other methods and technical standards that
local residents by allowing them total ownership of the meet local needs can be used.
project. Autonomy is ensured through the transfer of
technical knowledge (since the Associations are This example, which shows the great difficulty of
responsible for maintaining the infrastructures) and also adapting to innovations, is unfortunately not specific to
financial skills. the ONE, but is relevant to most institutions considered to
be the States operators in rural development. So it would
F. Institutional stakes
be advisable to continue to try different pilot
Right from its design and startup phase, the ERD project approaches to find models that could be reproduced on a
met a demand arising from the Ouneine Valleys isolated large scale to limit costs.
rural population. It was all the more justified since the
Moroccan National Electrical Agency (ONE) was not IV. MAIN RESULTS AND PROSPECTS
planning to electrify the area any time soon. As it
happened, its low population density and isolation had A. A micro-grid adapted to local needs
led the electricity supplier to give more economically The projects initial goal was to build different power
profitable areas higher priority for electrification. plants (four, as mentioned above), conforming to the
initial assessments, in three areas of the valley.
Thus, this project resulted in a certain number of
technical standards that both responded to residents The first step was to implement the project in one of the
wishes and made sense overall in terms of sustainable three selected areas. A 45-kW hydroelectric power plant
local development. It used a clean, autonomous energy allowed for the electrification of seven villages (a rural
source to create an electrical network that carefully took administrative division equivalent to about 250
advantage of the valleys natural potential. households). There was a 100% rate of connection to the
micro-grid. Collective facilities (mosques, schools) were
After the directory staff of the Moroccan National also electrified and public lighting was installed.
Electrical Agencys has visited Ouneine valley, the ONEs
strategy quickly changed. Influenced by the local Certain adaptations were made to the construction and
dynamic resulting from the ERD electrification project, management of the micro-grid. For example, in order to
and certainly fearing competition therefrom, it undertook discharge the excess energy produced, was discharged in
to install medium- and high-voltage lines in the valley. a 750 liter electric water heater wich was set up in the
mosque of the village where the power plant is located.
Initially, this state of affairs completely upset the project The heaters operation depends on the water level in the
dynamic. When it established its network, the ONE reservoir, without decreasing the quality of the electricity
attempted to impose its technical standards as well as new or the amount of water available for irrigation. This helps
rules that would apply both to the management of the reduce the heavy use of wood for heating and cooking
network (especially where rates were concerned, since (estimated at an average of 130 kg per household per
the cost per kWh is set by law at the national level) and to week).
the standardization of the electrical facilities. Also, in setting up facilities for production, transport and
After two years of negotiations, Targa-Aid, the Swiss distribution, care was taken to preserve the landscape as
Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the ONE much as possible, while at the same time meeting
managed to strike a partnership agreement defining the international standards. This is why the low-voltage
latters position with regard to the valley and the ERD cables were buried and the current 2-km medium-voltage
project. This agreement specified the relationships among line is on wooden poles and runs along the side of a hill.
the different partners. It allowed for a better coordination
of the various actions and a continuation of the project In continuing implementation of the project, the project
experiment outside of any pressure from the national team hoped to use the technical knowledge gained during
network. [13]
construction of the first power plant. It was therefore
necessary to take another look at the technical study to
So the work of the ERD project, which was trying to
perfect the technical standards, was nearly stopped by a confirm the initial choices (taking into account the
national authority claiming institutional and technical change in local situation, namely the installation of the
legitimacy. Aside from the purely institutional question, ONEs grid in the valley, and the advancement of the
the issue of defining the standards came up. One of these project at the peoples pace). Three solutions were
entities was offering a technical innovation that clashed studied (based on the initial technical and socioeconomic
with a national institution cloaked in a legitimacy that criteria) using the OptElDec software:
was difficult to challenge. Finally, this brings up the - an increase in reservoir size at the first power plant, a

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solution that was quickly rejected by the residents, who populations, but rather to contribute to a gradual
were afraid that such work would affect irrigation, improvement in the residents living conditions.
- the construction of a second hydroelectric power plant,
and So it would be appropriate to continue capitalizing on the
- the construction of a photovoltaic micro-power plant. knowledge gained through the program and to perfect the
data produced to suggest new courses of action for the
Based on the selected criteria, calculations showed that future.
the construction of a second 21-kW hydroelectric power
plant would be optimal. Work will start soon, and will V. CONCLUSIONS
allow the energy supply to be increased to meet the needs This research-action project enabled us to develop a
of local development. sustainable technical approach for the electrification of
isolated rural areas.
B. Endogenous local development
In social terms, it is clear that electrification tends to Three elements (social, environmental and economic)
improve the peoples living conditions notably. Modern needed to be taken into account in this respect:
lighting is a comfort that people especially women do - attention to the unique characteristics of the local
not want to give up once they have become accustomed society, which must necessarily be involved in the
to having it, even when the available power is very low. physical completion of the work as well as the
With electricity, women can distribute more adequately maintenance and sustainable management of the
their work time throughout the day, especially during the infrastructures,
winter, since they are no longer limited by natural light. - adaptation of the technology to the local environmental
conditions: the preparation and implementation of the
Generally speaking, daily household routines changed project were always done after an exhaustive study of the
substantially after the arrival of electricity, as could be local environmental potential in order to produce clean,
seen in the village of Tiguicht. This has also had certain renewable energy and ensure a quality supply, and
negative effects, which should not be glossed over. For - consideration of local needs and household economic
example, residents stay up significantly later than before, situations in determining the scale of the equipment, so as
especially because of television, which affects hours of to produce energy that can be used by everyone.
sleep, childrens school work, and the time spent at social
gatherings or with family. The project team would like to continue the actions it has
begun by:
At the same time, the project should now support the - building a second hydroelectric power plant,
Village Associations in implementing income-generating - encouraging income-generating activities, and
activities and community actions that use electricity to - capitalizing on this project in such a way as to be able to
operate. This activity will help show the value of reproduce a similar approach on other sites.
electrification as a development tool and support the
dynamic of endogenous local development. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The project team would like to thank the people of the
Once the implementation of this phase is complete, the
Ouneine Valley for their welcome, His Excellency the
project team will be able, on the basis of preliminary
Ambassador of Switzerland to Morocco for his support,
studies, to study the real impact of electrification and
the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation for
draw conclusions as to the reproducibility of the
its financial and moral backing, and the various partners
approach.
of the project who worked hard every day and cooperated
C. Reproducibility of the approach to ensure its success.
The idea of a projects reproducibility is built on the
premise that an operation naturally ought to be repeated if REFERENCES
its objectives are met.
[1] Royaume du Maroc, Ministre de lAmnagement du
Territoire, de lEau et de lEnvironnement,
In the context of the ERD project, thought is currently Dpartement de lAmnagement du Territoire, Le
being given to the reproducibility of the technological Schma National dAmnagement du Territoire,
and sociological innovations where environmental and Groupe Huit - Sud / 2003.
social conditions permit. [2] Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
[without reference to a Main Committee (A/55/L.2)]
This intent has been taken into account since the design 55/2. United Nations Millennium Declaration, The
stage and throughout the project. General Assembly Adopts the following Declaration:
United Nations Millennium Declaration Resolution,
8th Plenary Meeting, 8 September 2000.
Indeed, the objective of this program was not to end up [3] Ibid.
with a model electrification project that did not match [4] Royaume du Maroc, Banque Africaine de
the needs and financial resources of the relevant Dveloppement, Projet de centrale thermosolaire de

39
Ain Beni Mathar, Rapport dvaluation, Dpartement
Infrastructure ONIN Rgions Nord, Est et Sud,
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[5] GERES,
http://www.co2solidaire.org/fr/projets/maroc.php.
[6] UN, Agenda 21, Chapter 13: Managing Fragile
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