Solar power is transforming Pakistan
KARACHI, Pakistan — Zahir Shah, a driver in a posh neighbourhood, was fed up. With nearly half his monthly salary going toward electricity bills, in April he used his savings to buy a solar panel and small battery to power his modest one-room home, cutting his bill in half.
Shah is one of many Pakistanis turning to cheap Chinese solar panels to escape exorbitantly high electricity bills and frequent power outages across the country’s fossil fuel-dominated grid.
Solar Adoption Across Pakistan
From tiny hamlets among towering mountains, along the Arabian Sea coastline, to the congested cities of Karachi and Lahore, solar panels are everywhere. They power tube wells at farms, rooftops at shops, factories, office buildings, schools, homes, gas stations, and more.
“Solar’s use has become as ubiquitous as cell phones in Pakistan,” said Waqas Moosa, head of the Pakistan Solar Association and co-founder of Lahore-based Hadron Solar. “It is now even being considered in some villages as an essential item in dowries along with television, furniture, and fridges.”
The potential impact of this solar revolution is huge. Once seen as a luxury for the wealthy, solar energy is now adopted across nearly all income levels as a practical and economical solution to the country’s deepening energy crisis.
Economic Impacts and Opportunities
Abundantly cheap, clean electricity is breaking down income barriers, empowering some of Pakistan’s least privileged groups with new opportunities and potentially more disposable income. While the poorest cannot yet afford even the cheapest solar panels, the technology’s broad adoption sets Pakistan apart from other developing nations, like South Africa and Namibia.
“Every small town, village or farmhouse, however remote, is using solar,” said Tariq Nasir, a partner at Karachi-based Vellani and Vellani law firm. “The transformation is massive.”
Challenges to the Grid
However, the explosive growth of solar has created strain on Pakistan’s energy infrastructure. The grid relies heavily on fossil fuels, largely natural gas, along with nuclear and hydro power. Solar and wind currently provide only about 4% of grid power, though much more solar exists off-grid or outside net-metered programs, according to Rabia Babar, data manager at Renewables First.
The government initially encouraged solar through a net metering policy, allowing customers to sell excess power back to the grid. Many users now go off-grid during the day to power their own homes, reducing government revenue. As a result, electricity prices rise for those still dependent on the grid.
Pakistan also has contracts requiring fixed payments to 104 private power plants — coal, oil, gas, and nuclear — regardless of actual electricity generation. This combination of off-grid solar, high bills, and fixed costs has created what energy specialists call a “utility death spiral.”
Solar Adoption in Communities
Solar panels are widely used in schools and remote mountainous areas. Sikandar Husain, principal of the Nar Community School in Skardu Valley, noted that solar allows students to complete assignments without disruption. In cities, demand is also high; Resha Jan, owner of Shafiq Hardware Store near Karachi’s Port Qasim, sold 30–40 panels in just 15 days.
Zahir Shah’s employers, Mahir and Sadia Muzaffar, have been selling excess solar energy from more than 50 panels through the net metering program for six years. Ramzan Bhattai, proprietor of Eman Solar Energy near Karachi, also reports continued high demand.
Government Perspective
Pakistan Power Minister Awais Leghari emphasises the importance of balancing widespread solar adoption with the stability of the national grid. “I don’t think we could have seen a better example of the democratization of this technology,” he said. He also noted the government’s role is to “remove obstacles stifling growth,” including supporting grid reliability.
Future Outlook
Pakistan imported about 17 gigawatts of Chinese solar panels in 2024, making it one of the world’s largest markets for new solar installations, according to Ember. Mustafa Amjad, program director at Renewables First, suggests that widespread electrification of transport could expand the grid’s customer base.
However, some experts, like Waqas Moosa, predict that batteries and off-grid solar could eventually make the national grid irrelevant. “Just like mobile phones made landlines irrelevant,” he said, “solar and batteries will make the grid irrelevant.”