Sustainable Microgrid Development in Morocco: A Comprehensive Review of Renewable Energy Projects, Control Strategies, and Challenges

Microgrids are emerging as a promising solution to enhance renewable energy integration, energy reliability, electricity access, and sustainability in Morocco. This paper reviews the development of sustainable microgrids in the Moroccan context by analyzing existing projects, system configurations, control approaches, and energy management strategies. In line with Morocco’s objective of reaching 52% renewable electricity capacity by 2030, the reviewed studies show that hybrid microgrids combining photovoltaic, wind, battery storage, diesel backup, and pumped hydro storage can improve energy autonomy, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and support a more sustainable energy transition. Across the reviewed case studies, reported performance indicators include renewable energy penetration of up to 97%, a Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP) of 0.0489, Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) values ranging from 0.038 to 0.17 USD/kWh, and energy cost reductions of up to 20.7% in building-integrated photovoltaic applications. These values are study-specific and should be interpreted as indicative performance outcomes rather than directly comparable benchmarks, since they depend on system size, load profile, storage technology, tariff structure, and optimization assumptions. The review also highlights the role of advanced control and optimization techniques, such as particle swarm optimization, model predictive control, equilibrium optimizer, and adaptive energy management systems, in improving power balance, reliability, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. Finally, this paper identifies the main technical, economic, regulatory, and institutional barriers limiting large-scale sustainable microgrid deployment in Morocco and proposes recommendations to support decentralized, resilient, and environmentally sustainable renewable energy systems.