From 2 to 5 April 2018, the Awareness Training was held for Moroccan Stakeholders in Japan under the UNIDO’s Low Carbon Low Emission Clean Energy Technology Transfer (LCET) Programme managed by Climate Technology and Innovation Division, Department of Energy. The both in-class and site visit training programme was held in Tokyo and at sites in Hokkaido, Kanagawa, Nara and Osaka in Japan.

Participants from Morocco were representatives from the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy, and the National Office for Electricity and Potable Water.

The training is part of a LCET Project, “Implementation of the Redox Flow Battery (RFB) technology as an innovative Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)” to be designed for and installed in Ouarzazate, Morocco. RFB will be connected to the already existing 1MW concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system in Ouarzazate. RFB has been deployed on a turnkey basis from Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.

The Project represents the first collaboration effort following a Joint Communiqué which was signed by Mr. LI Yong, Director General of UNIDO, and Mr. Mustapha Bakkoury, President of the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) on the sidelines of COP 22 in Marrakech, Morocco, in November 2016. The MASEN – UNIDO cooperation aims to strengthen their technical collaboration in the field of renewable energy development in Morocco, further fostering Morocco’s national priority in achieving 52% of its energy mix from renewable sources by 2030.

■LCET Programme

The LCET programme aims to promote the rapid deployment and dissemination of innovative low carbon technologies across the world. It focuses on fostering inclusive and sustainable industrial development through enhancing productivity, creating new jobs, boosting the use of clean and affordable energy, and providing training to the local communities.

■Redox Flow Battery

Redox flow batteries are charged and discharged by means of the oxidation-reduction reaction of ions of vanadium or the like. RFB has a long service life with unlimited cycle usage with almost no degradation of electrodes and electrolytes, high safety due to being free of combustible materials, providing ideal solution to stabilize and manage grids especially with power generated from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.

■Factories and Sites Visited

・Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Yokohama Works (Kanagawa):
　Concentrator Photovoltaic System, Redox Flow Battery and Energy Management System (EMS)

・Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc. Minami-Hayakita Substation (Hokkaido):
　The world’s largest (as of 4 April, 2018) storage battery installed in the Minami-Hayakita Substation of 
   Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc. by Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., etc.

・City of Yokohama. The port of Yokohama (Kanagawa):
   Hydrogen-based Autonomous Energy Supply System (H2One), Fuel Cell Vehicle, etc.

・Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. Nara Plant (Nara):
　”D’s SMART FACTORY” with Factory Energy Management System (FEMS), etc.

・Todai-ji (Nara):
　Buddhist temple complex listed UNESCO World Heritage Site.