my innovation journey starts inland, south of morocco s major cities and mighty atlas mountains, just north of the sahara desert, near the quiet outpost of ouarzazate. this part of saharan morocco is known as the door of the desert. the landscape out here, it s almost like it s from another world. feels like we could be on mars. these plains receive three times the sun as parts of northern europe. ..and are home to a world leading project of staggering scale. this is noor, a solar power station, putting morocco at the forefront of pioneering renewable technology. i m used to feeling small, but this makes me feel even smaller. hello, abed, salam. hello, my friend, salam. nice to meet you. nice to meet you, too. this is incredible! and lots of sun. lots of sun, yeah. which is what we want for something like this. yeah. this is not an ordinary solarfield. panels with over 7,000 mirrors follow the sun. and i can hear lots of sounds at the moment. it s quite eerie. is that the pan
in the wave beat workshop, taha explains how computer modelling lets the team prototype different scenarios. and, as night draws in, sparkling lights shine into life. a small demo, yes, but entirely electrified by the sea. the technology i ve seen here may be at an early stage, but it s really not hard to imagine how, one day, all these beautiful lights could be powered by the waves. it s clear to me that morocco is not only a country blessed with natural assets, it s beginning to nurture an exciting, home grown tech scene. from pioneering new startups, to ambitious, globally focused projects.