• Morocco launches SR500 rooftop solar program targeting 500 MWp by 2030

• First Article 6.2 Paris Agreement project approved in Morocco

• Program supports unsubsidized on-site solar for industrial, service companies

Africa Climate Solutions launched its Solar Rooftop 500 (SR500) program on Tuesday, Feb. 4, in Casablanca, in partnership with Cluster ENR. The launch event drew nearly 300 participants from public institutions, the private sector, and Morocco’s energy and climate community.

The program aims to deploy 500 megawatt-peak (MWp) of rooftop solar photovoltaic capacity by 2030 for companies operating in the industrial and service sectors. SR500 is the first operational project approved under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement in Morocco. This mechanism allows countries to cooperate on emissions reductions and to transfer the resulting credits, known as internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs), under rules designed to ensure transparency and prevent double counting.

SR500 targets new on-site solar generation projects, with or without battery storage, with a maximum capacity of 3 MWp per site. Eligible projects must not receive public subsidies or generate revenue from the sale of surplus electricity.

The program is part of the climate cooperation framework between Morocco and Switzerland launched at COP27. Switzerland has previously applied Article 6.2 mechanisms in Africa, notably in Ghana, where an improved cookstove project led to the first issuance and sale of transferable carbon credits.

Abdoullah Diop