MOHAMMED VI UNIVERSITY

 

This photovoltaic canopy of nearly 600 m² was installed at the entrance to the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. The pergola endows the complex with an area where users may walk between buildings while enjoying a pleasant, refreshing shade, this being necessary in locations such as Morocco where high temperatures are reached and people are exposed to solar radiation.

 

Data:

• Total Area - 562 M²
• Electricity generated in 35 years  - 3,921,750 kWh
• Total lighting points operating 4 hours per day in 35 years - 7,693 lighting points
• CO₂ emmisions avoided  in 35 years - 2,628 Tons of CO₂
• Barrels of oil saved in 35 years - 2,308 barrels per m²

 

For Onyx Solar®, this project entailed a challenge and an important record due to the high efficiency of the glass modules manufactured from crystalline silicon. These modules are of a large size and were designed especially to satisfy the client’s needs. It is of particular note that a single module contains 144 photovoltaic cells and achieves a power capacity of 626 Wp, that is, 160 Wp per m², enabling the pergola to generate 135,000 kWh and to prevent the release of almost 100 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.

 

This project was penned by two architects of worldwide renown, Ricardo Bofill and Elie Mouyal, who preserved the spirit of Arab latticework in their design. Jacobs, a world leader in the provision of engineering and construction services, was entrusted with the construction of the pergola

 

The Mohammed VI Polytechnic University is located at half an hour’s distance from Marrakesh. This initiative was Onyx Solar®’s first project in Morocco and is included in the “Green Cities” development plan by the Moroccan state group OCP, the largest phosphate exporter worldwide. The new city has a surface area of 1,000 hectares and features a ratio of 20 m2 of greenspace per capita.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

"The exploitation of daylight by means of glass modules such as those of Onyx Solar® enables the illumination of the various public areas, creating a subtle light favouring savings in energy consumption” “We undertake our works taking energetic efficiency and sustainability very seriously”.

 Ricardo Bofill.