This study evaluates sunflower, safflower, and rapeseed oils as alternative heat transfer fluids (HTFs) for medium-temperature parabolic trough collector (PTC) applications and compares their performance with Therminol VP-1 and Delcoterm E15. A validated thermal-hydraulic model (R-2 = 98.5 %), supported by experimental measurements on a 1.5 kWth PTC system in Morocco, was used to assess HTF behavior under three operational methodologies: fixed thermal power, fixed Reynolds number, and fixed mass flow rate. Results show that vegetable oils achieve slightly higher thermal efficiency (64-65 %) than synthetic fluids (62-63.5 %), attributed to their superior thermal conductivity and specific heat. Although their higher viscosity increases pumping demand, the associated penalty (12-15 W per 1.3 kWth) represents only 0.9-1.2 % of the useful thermal output, indicating minimal impact on overall system performance. At larger scales, vegetable oils offer substantial economic advantages: a 10 MWth solar field requires 400-450 k less initial HTF investment than synthetic oils. Application mapping shows that vegetable oils are best suited for industrial processes below 200 degrees C-common in food processing, textiles, and pharmaceuticals-while Delcoterm E15 remains optimal for 150-250 degrees C and Therminol VP-1 for >300 degrees C applications. These results demonstrate that vegetable oils provide a cost-effective, environmentally benign pathway for expanding solar industrial heat deployment, particularly in developing economies and small-to-medium enterprises.

Energy storage integration is vital for reliable power supply as reliance on renewables grows. This study investigates the co-optimization and control of an off-grid hybrid system-comprising photovoltaics (PV), wind turbines (WT), hydrogen storage, and gravity energy storage (GES)-as a sustainable alternative to a 624 MW ultra-supercritical coal unit in Morocco. Unlike prior work, this paper explicitly quantifies the distinct roles of GES and hydrogen in coal plant replacement scenarios. A unified framework is proposed to size all system components while performing 8760-hour dispatch simulations to ensure uninterrupted power supply, achieving a 0% loss of power supply probability (LPSP). At this reliability level, the optimal configuration includes similar to 1000 PV modules, 594 wind turbines, a GES unit (5 m diameter, 714 m height), and substantial hydrogen infrastructure: a 790 MW electrolyzer, 650 MW fuel cell (FC), and 260 t storage tank. The resulting levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) is 0.23 (sic)/kWh. The system reliably meets demand by leveraging PV, WT, FC, and GES. Intermittency in PV and wind is mitigated through the complementary roles of hydrogen and GES. Hydrogen production aligns with renewable generation, while GES exhibits frequent deep-cycling, highlighting its key balancing function. This analysis demonstrates that a well-sized and controlled PV-WT-Hydrogen-GES system can serve as a credible, clean alternative to coal-based generation. It underscores the potential of hybrid energy storage systems in enabling sustainable, off-grid power solutions, particularly in regions with abundant renewable energy resources.

While the implementation of sustainable urban planning has proven to be one of the primary goals to reduce the climate change impact, the rapid adoption of nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) concept in the building sector is inevitable to reach that objective. Following this trend, this article focuses on the implementation of a parametric digital workflow to evaluate the energy performance of a nearly zero energy high-rise 23-storey office building in the climatic and urban contexts of Casablanca at the early design stage. In the scope of this study, Grasshopper-based digital workflow permits to investigate the impact of 147 parametric building designs, which are generated by varying the building's shape factor and orientation on thermal cooling and heating demand and global solar energy production. The outcomes of this holistic methodology highlight the design trade-offs between energy efficiency strategies and energy performance of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) and photovoltaic (PV) systems, aiming to reach optimized nZEB. Moreover, the results of the study suggest that it is possible to reach an annual load match equivalent to 29.68 %. The findings also underscore the significant role of the BIPV systems in shifting towards the goal of net zero energy, accounting for up to 64.43 % of the total solar energy output and contributing in total up to 17.62 % to the yearly self-sufficiency. In addition, the energy balance evaluation, when assessed on an hourly basis, reveals that the BIPV system significantly improves the daily load cover factor, achieving a value of 12.45 %, and increases up to 20.62 % when considering also the rooftop PV, particularly during spring season. Finally, the capacity credit factor is improved by up to 31.27 %, which is a significant share of grid connection reduction compared to the same building relying totally on the grid for its energy needs.

As the global drive for carbon neutrality becomes the new normal, Zero Carbon Urban Buildings (ZCUBs) are positioned as an essential pillar in the fight against global warming. Given the absence of a scoping literature review focused on recent progress in ZCUBs, this research paper aims to provide reference and support for their wider implementation. Using the PRISMA protocol, 226 articles spanning the period from 2000 to 2024 were selected and classified thematically, identifying key drivers, strategies, and the influential factors on energy and environmental performances, carbon emissions, and overall sustainability impacts on urban built environments. Based on the findings from a scientometric analysis of the past 25 years (2000-2024), the approach to urban building's design and performance has undergone a remarkable transformation. Initially, efforts were concentrated on improving energy efficiency to reduce energy consumption and enhance the comfort of individual buildings. However, as the realities of climate change have intensified and digital advancements -especially in the Artificial Intelligence field- have triggered tectonic shifts in all fields of science including the building sector, the scope has expanded significantly. Buildings are now designed not only to optimize energy use and enhance indoor comfort but also to minimize building's life cycle carbon emissions (LCCEs) and actively incorporate renewable energy sources, while considering their urban contexts. This evolution is driven by stricter regulatory and legal obligations along with the development of advanced technologies and digital tools, enabling urban buildings to transition from passive energy consumers to active, sustainable grid-interactive prosumers. As part of smart grid deployment, this shift enables urban buildings to achieve net-zero or even net-positive energy status, within the context of zero-energy communities, in a very radically different way than it is today. From this perspective, ZCUB's design broadly covers embodied carbon in construction materials, passive and active energy efficiency measures, on-site and/or off-site renewable energy sources' adoption, and integration with urban energy systems and infrastructure. It also encompasses digital tools for energy and environmental performance simulations, lifecycle assessment methodologies, technological innovations and policy frameworks that support decarbonization at urban building's scale. That said, considering the broad disciplinary landscape of ZCUBs, this scoping review identifies common trends and challenges, highlights gaps in the existing literature, and proposes future research directions aimed at advancing carbon neutrality within the building sector and its wider urban context.

Energy efficiency has emerged as a crucial focal point in global agendas, being recognized for its pivotal role in combatting climate change, bolstering energy security, and fostering economic growth. Governments worldwide are formulating ambitious targets and enacting comprehensive strategies to optimize energy utilization across various sectors. This involves the formulation of policies, provision of incentives, and facilitation of collaborations to encourage energy-efficient practices, ultimately steering towards a sustainable and energy-efficient future. Notably, the residential sector stands as a pivotal component in these efforts due to its substantial share of energy consumption. This paper evaluates the strategic vision of Morocco concerning energy efficiency within the residential sector from its inception to the projected initiatives up to 2030. The analysis focuses on the current iteration of thermal regulations and its implications. Although specific numerical outcomes are not discussed herein, the implementation of these regulations is observed to yield notable benefits, including reductions in energy bills and gains in annual primary energy. These advantages are estimated to result in a substantial decrease in final energy consumption, equating to significant savings for end-users. Additionally, to cover the expenses associated with building repairs and thermal enhancements, an extra fee is levied, varying based on building typology and climatic region. Despite this additional investment, the associated costs typically exhibit a favorable payback period, on average, underscoring the efficacy of regulatory and profitability measures in driving energy efficiency within the residential sector. This paper examines Morocco’s strategic approach to energy efficiency in the residential sector, focusing on its thermal building regulation RTCM (Moroccan thermal regulation on construction). Energy efficiency is recognized as essential for reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, enhancing energy security, and lowering costs. Using simulation models across six climatic zones and three residential building types, the study highlights RTCM’s significant impact—achieving national energy savings between 39% and 68%. Despite added costs for thermal improvements, the measures show favorable payback periods, confirming RTCM’s strong energy and economic performance and its potential role in shaping future policies.

The 2024 Moroccan census identified single-family houses as one of the most widespread building archetypes, making it necessary to study their future thermal energy demand and comfort conditions. Additionally, in the era of digitalization, modular construction is rapidly emerging as an efficient alternative to traditional on-site construction worldwide. Yet, a literature review reveals a significant gap in research addressing these aspects, particularly under future climate scenarios; worse still, most studies have focused on developed countries. To this end, this study assesses the climate change impact on the thermal energy requirements and indoor comfort conditions of a modular single-family home across the six climate zones of Morocco. The investigation considers both current climate conditions and future projections for the year 2050, based on two Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios: RCPs 4.5 and 8.5. The findings suggest that Morocco will experience rising ambient temperatures due to global warming, leading to an increase in cooling demand by 25.5-44.3 % under RCP 4.5 and 37-54.5 % under RCP 8.5. Conversely, heating energy requirements are expected to decrease by 23.5-36 % under RCP 4.5 and by 30.6-48.9 % under RCP 8.5, with variations across the country's different climate zones. Furthermore, Overheat Hours (OHs) are projected to rise by 8.5-16.8 % under RCP 4.5 and by 11.5-20.5 % under RCP 8.5, compared to current climate conditions based on static comfort evaluation. When considering adaptive comfort evaluation, OHs are expected to increase by 8.1-22.7 % under RCP 4.5 and by 17.8-26.3 % under RCP 8.5. Interestingly, the simulation results reveal that natural ventilation remains an effective passive design strategy that reduces OHs under both present-day and future climate change conditions. Lastly, extreme heatwave events, projected to worsen under climate change, will cause daytime temperature increases of up to 2.7 degrees C and nighttime temperature rises of up to 3.4 degrees C. These events pose significant health risks by generating non-livable indoor temperatures that could persist for over three days in the investigated cities.

Despite growing interest in positive-energy and net-zero-energy buildings (NZEBs), few studies have addressed the integration of biobased construction with building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) under hot–dry climate conditions, particularly in Morocco and North Africa. This study fills this gap by presenting a simulation-based evaluation of energy performance and renewable energy integration strategies for a residential building in the Fes-Meknes region. Two structural configurations were compared using dynamic energy simulations in DesignBuilder/EnergyPlus, that is, a conventional concrete brick model and an eco-constructed alternative based on biobased wooden materials. Thus, the wooden construction reduced annual energy consumption by 33.3% and operational CO2 emissions by 50% due to enhanced thermal insulation and moisture-regulating properties. Then multiple configurations of the solar energy systems were analysed, and an optimal hybrid off-grid hybrid system combining rooftop photovoltaic, BIPV, and lithium-ion battery storage achieved a 100% renewable energy fraction with an annual output of 12,390 kWh. While the system incurs a higher net present cost of $45,708 USD, it ensures full grid independence, lowers the electricity cost to $0.70/kWh, and improves occupant comfort. The novelty of this work lies in its integrated approach, which combines biobased construction, lifecycle-informed energy modelling, and HOMER-optimised PV/BIPV systems tailored to a hot, dry climate. The study provides a replicable framework for designing NZEBs in Morocco and similar arid regions, supporting the low-carbon transition and informing policy, planning, and sustainable construction strategies.

The Moroccan Ryad, a cherished architectural treasure in North Africa, symbolizes cultural richness and architectural legacy. This paper advocates an inventive strategy to preserve and rejuvenate the Ryad as an energy-efficient model, intertwining modern sustainability principles. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, this study delves into the fusion of traditional Ryad design with contemporary sustainability, tackling energy efficiency, resource conservation, and cultural heritage challenges. Examining historical construction methods, material choices, and spatial arrangements alongside sustainable building practices, this paper showcases case studies of newly constructed sustainable Ryads. These examples spotlight strategies like passive solar design, renewable energy incorporation, water conservation, and local material use, augmenting energy performance while fostering cultural continuity through eco-friendly materials and traditional craftsmanship. This research also explores the social and economic impacts of this sustainable Ryad model, including its potential to boost tourism, generate employment, and engage communities. Additionally, it addresses the role of public policy in supporting sustainable practices for preserving Moroccan cultural heritage. By amalgamating culture, sustainability, and energy efficiency, this paper envisions a new role for the Moroccan Ryad, positioning it not only as a guardian of heritage but also as a symbol of environmentally responsible architecture—a model applicable to culturally rich regions globally.

This thorough study looks at the use of machine learning (ML) techniques to forecast energy usage in buildings, with an emphasis on mosques. As energy use has a greater impact on both the environment and the economy, it is becoming increasingly important to optimize energy usage in buildings, especially for religious organizations such as mosques. The study goes into a variety of ML methods and models, including neural networks, regression models, decision trees, and clustering algorithms, each customized to a distinct difficulty in energy management. The paper evaluates the efficacy of several ML techniques, noting their merits, shortcomings, and potential applications. Additionally, it investigates the impact of climate, mosque design, occupancy patterns, and geographical variables on energy use. To achieve accurate energy consumption projections, rigorous data collecting, pre-processing, and model validation procedures are required. The paper also discusses important data sources and methodologies for mosque-specific energy analysis. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the practical benefits of applying ML in energy prediction, such as cost savings, increased environmental sustainability, and better resource allocation. This study’s ramifications extend beyond mosques, providing useful insights into energy management in buildings in general. By summarizing the current state of ML applications in mosque energy prediction, this study is an important resource for researchers, decision-makers, and energy management practitioners, paving the way for future advancements and the adoption of more sustainable energy practices in religious institutions.

This study assesses the thermodynamic, economic, and environmental performance of an Organic Rankine Cycle system for geothermal energy recovery at the Moulay Yacoub geothermal field in Morocco. The aim is to optimize medium-enthalpy geothermal resources and provide a sustainable, efficient energy solution aligned with Moroccan energy transition goals. Key findings demonstrate that the proposed system achieves an optimal exergy efficiency of 35.58

This article conducts a study to analyze the effects of two key elements in solar-cooling systems (collector surface and storage capacity). These two factors are divided into two categories: energetic and financial. The first research focuses on a Moroccan city (Agadir) to provide an energetic assessment and to demonstrate the importance of not only an energetic analysis but also a financial evaluation to get the best solar coverage with optimum expenses. The main goal is to conduct an energetic evaluation of a solar chiller system, which includes providing the energetic performances such as useable energy from collectors, auxiliary energy utilized as a backup, and collector thermal efficiency. The simulation is carried out using many tools, the first of which is Transol, which allows for the modeling of solar thermal panels and the definition of all fluxes between the thermal system and the building. TRNSYS (Transient System Simulation Tool) is used in addition to that tool to model the absorption chiller, which is subsequently incorporated into Transol. The second aim is to extend the study for nine African capitals, where the exanimated system is connected to a typical 100 m2 floor area building. This research is crucial for environmental integration as it highlights the potential of solar-cooling systems to reduce energy consumption and minimize environmental impact across diverse climatic regions. According to the outcomes of the two instruments, it was discovered that cities with a high solar potential and a high cooling load appear to have a lower LCOC (e.g., Niamey and Ilorin have 0.2 €/kWh and 0.15 €/kWh, respectively), but Cape Town and Nairobi have a high value of LCOC 0.4 €/kWh due to their low cooling load.

In order to reach carbon neutrality targets in the built environment, worldwide designers should look toward more sustainable buildings, especially with solar integrated configurations to reduce the reliance on conventional sources of energy in urban environments. In this paper, a parametric digital workflow developed in the Grasshopper environment allowed the evaluation of the energy performance and indoor thermal and visual comforts of variable nearly Zero Energy office building configurations. More specifically, as a first step, this paper focused on the use of the global sensitivity analysis tool to evaluate the varying influence of different selected design variables on energy self-sufficiency and indoor thermal comfort of the office building. Then, based on the results of this investigation, we compared the energy performance of nearly/Net Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB) considering two opposing extreme design options, that are the worst and best configurations, using different timescales, i.e., annual, monthly, weekly, daily and hourly performances. Interestingly, the annual Solar Contribution Ratio (SCR), defined as the ratio between yearly solar production and the energy demand of the building, varies between 39 % and 146 %, while also maintaining an acceptable degree of visual indoor comfort (sDA > 0.5). Besides, the findings underscore the significant contribution of the BIPV system in shifting towards the net zero energy goal, accounting for as much as 57.14 % of the total solar energy output. Moreover, the energy self-sufficiency on an hourly basis reveals that the BIPV shading area enhances the daily load cover factor by a range of 4.39 % to 23.87 %, depending on the building's design strategies and the season of the year. Overall, the research outcomes aim at evaluating the influence of a set of design inputs on quantitative indicators related to indoor visual, thermal comforts and energy performance that can provide practical information for building designers, urban planners as well as grid designers and operators. Also, this research provides understandable visual and graphical representations capturing the variation of the indexes in variable time-steps. Lastly, the result of this study proves that Net Zero Energy Building, even positive energy building, could be achievable within semi-arid climate conditions.

As climate change is globally widespread and intensifying, there is an urgent call for buildings to undergo energy reduction and decarbonization in order to reach carbon-neutrality by 2050. This article comes in response to this need, by comparing the thermal energy savings and discomfort mitigation from implementing climate-responsive design strategies with respect to the hot semi-arid climate of Morocco. To do so, we've used EnergyPlus to evaluate the thermal energy performance and indoor thermal comfort conditions of two passive unoccupied homes: Home_1 and home_2; and the accuracy of the building energy models has been approved via forty days of indoor temperature measurements in two different thermal zones for each home. Furthermore, the comparison of the annual thermal needs of both passive homes has demonstrated that passive design strategies influence heavily the thermal performance of the buildings and help mitigate indoor comfort conditions, especially in the cooling period. A combination of semi-arid climate-responsive passive design strategies for home_2 has allowed to reach a thermal energy intensity of 23.31 kWh/m2/year, which is less by 73.3% in comparison with the thermal energy needs of home_1 and also Discomfort Hours (DH) in home_2 is 2069 h, against 5744 h in home_1.

This study conducts a well-to-wheel assessment of alternative fuel vehicles in the Maghreb region, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. The research employs international standards, ISO 14040–14043, to assess diesel, hybrid-electric, battery-electric, and fuel-cell vehicles and highlights the potential benefits of transitioning to electric and fuel-cell vehicles in the Maghreb, offering energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact.

The use of hybrid renewable energy systems is growing as a viable option for clean power generation, fueled by the increasing demand for sustainable energy sources and the need to reduce carbon emissions. In this context, this paper evaluates the optimal configuration, as well as the economic and environmental performances of a hybrid solar PV/biogas/battery energy system designed to provide electricity to a commercial platform in Berkane- Morocco. The optimization model aims to determine the optimal capacity of renewable energy systems achieving the most cost-effective levelized cost of electricity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and utilizing locally available renewable energy resources. The model was developed using HOMER software incorporating real-measured data for electricity demand, solar irradiance, and biogas availability. It was found that the PV/biogas/battery combination is very optimal in terms of cost and emissions savings in comparison with the use of only one source of power generation. The optimal design of the energy system results in 231 kW of PV modules, 170 kW biogas generator, a 140-kW converter, and a 201 kWh Li-Ion battery park. The optimization results in an LCOE of 0.280 $/kWh; Moreover, the proposed system would save almost 40 % of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in comparison with only biogas system. A sensitivity test has been performed, showing that the proposed hybrid system is sensitive to capital subsidies and discount rates. This study demonstrates the economic viability and environmental benefits driven by the integration of the hybrid of PV/Biogas/Battery system in Morocco, making it an attractive alternative for future sustainable development.

With the looming challenges of global warming, huge efforts and resources have been deployed to make our buildings more energy efficient and consume less during their operating phase, but another factor in climate change mitigation strategies that we must take into consideration in built environment is the embodied carbon in materials used in construction. Within this framework, this study intends to assess the embodied carbon footprint of a typical Moroccan residential three-story building through the calculation of the total cradle-to-gate embodied carbon emissions of the major building materials. Using the life cycle assessment as a tool and Inventory of Carbon & Energy (ICE) as an open-source database, a conventional construction scenario is evaluated, using current construction materials. The results show that cradle-to-gate & replacement embodied carbon amounts to 418.67 kg CO2eq/m2/year over the 100-year operating period of the building. Whereas buildings in Morocco consume a lot of concrete and steel, both of which are carbon-intensive and findings show that they account for around 32,83% of the total emissions. Up to date, there has been no regulation to implement mandatory whole life cycle carbon assessment and promote methods, strategies and practices that encourage the decarbonization of built environment in Morocco. Hence, the findings of this case study intend to shed the light on embodied carbon of typical Moroccan residential building, to encourage the industry and academia to consider the embodied carbon and to learn more about it before legal requirements take place.

The increasing adoption of hybrid power systems requires the development of advanced forecast models and smart energy management strategies. This work investigates the performance of a rule-based control multi-energy renewable system that combines solar photovoltaic (PV) and biogas technologies. The system incorporates a battery energy storage system with an objective to optimally mitigate the inherent variability of renewable energy systems employing advanced one-week forecasting models based on estimations derived from environmental data. The modeling of PV power output uses forecasted weather data which includes temperature and solar irradiation. To forecast biogas yields, the research employs Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1. The multi-energy system is examined under real-world operational conditions by leveraging available measured electrical data. The validation of the developed one-week forecasting model has been performed and yielded interesting results with a normalized root mean square error ranging from 11.36