Is this solar project compelling enough to attract equity investors?
If you're an investor or entrepreneur, I'd love your honest take: does this project sound compelling enough to attract investors?
The idea: develop a solar project in southern Morocco, one of the sunniest places on earth. As a Moroccan citizen, I have access to cheap agricultural land that can be converted to industrial use something foreigners can't do. I'm looking at roughly 10 hectares, which would support about an 8 MW solar plant.
The plan:
Secure the land.
Get government approval to convert it to industrial use.
Get the grid connection authorization
This is where investors come in. Covering the land with panels, the grid connection, installation and setup costs roughly €1.5–2 million. My rough estimate is that capital can be returned within 3–5 years, after which the plant keeps producing (and earning) for 20+ more years.
The attractive part: investors would come in only once the land is secured and the permits and grid connection are in place. That removes the biggest early hurdles before any investor capital is at risk. I'd be funding and carrying that risky front-end myself.
Being realistic: this is still an emerging market, so execution risk is real bureaucracy, timelines, and grid capacity are the genuine challenges. I'm not pretending it's risk-free.
One thing I want to be clear on: I'm not looking to raise debt. I want to avoid interest payments entirely I'm looking for equity partners who share in the project and its returns.
My main worry, and the thing I'd most like input on: the risk of securing the land and permits but then not being able to finish the project. Does this structure sound compelling? What am I missing?
Any feedback, referrals, or recommendations are much appreciated.