Solar power in Pakistan
Solar power in Pakistan is growing at the "most extreme" rate in the world, with solar installations providing an estimated one-third of the [4]country's entire generating capacity added in 2024 alone.[5] Solar power is now the largest electricity source in Pakistan, accounting for more than 25% of total production in 2025.[6] As electricity prices doubled from 2021 to 2024, and Chinese solar panel manufacturers with manufacturing overcapacity cut prices,[7] Pakistanis have taken to installing solar panels around the country, importing $1.4 billion of panels from China in the first half of 2024.[8][9] Imports of solar panels totaled 17GW of capacity in 2024, double the capacity of imports the previous year.[10] As of 31 March 2025, Pakistan has reached over ~2,813 MW of net-metered rooftop solar installed, up from about 2,500 MW a year earlier. By the end of April 2025, net-metered solar had reached 5.3 GW (5,300 MW). The country’s total installed generation capacity stood at 46,605 MW[4] by end-March 2025. This includes all sources (hydro, thermal, nuclear, renewable). Solar power became part of the energy mix in 2013, following government policies aimed at supporting renewable energy development. The country now has seven large-scale solar projects that contribute 530 MW to the national grid, along with a growing number of harder to measure off-grid projects. The country has solar plants in Pakistani Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. Initiatives are under development by the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Chinese companies, and Pakistani private sector energy companies. The Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power Park (QASP) was built in the Cholistan Desert, Punjab, in 2015 and has a 400 MW capacity.[11] Solar resource Solar irradiance in Pakistan is 5.3 kWh/m2/day.[12] Government policyRaja Pervaiz Ashraf, the Federal Minister of Water & Power of Pakistan, announced on 2 July 2009 that 7,000 villages would be electrified using solar energy by 2014. Senior adviser Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa stated that the Punjab government would begin new projects aimed at power production through coal, solar energy and wind power; this would generate additional resources.[13] The Government of Pakistan allowed the provincial government of Sindh to conduct feasibility research. The government planned to install a desalination plant powered by solar energy.[14] On 21 May 2022, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the removal of 17 per cent general sales tax on solar panels.[15] The World Bank reports that Pakistan possesses a solar power potential of 40 GW and has set a goal to achieve 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025. To promote the use of solar energy, Pakistan has introduced incentives, including net metering and feed-in tariffs.[16] Net metering allows small systems to have a payback period of just 2-4 years.[17] The government recently slashed the buyback rate from about Rs 27/unit to Rs 10/unit for new net-metering users. That’s more than a 60% cut.[18] The Sindh and Punjab provincial governments announced policies in 2024 to provide free or subsidized solar panels to low income residents to reduce their electricity costs.[8] Projects
Public ReceptionPakistan's solar energy boom, which accelerated in 2023 due to falling global solar panel prices and increased imports from China, led to widespread adoption of solar systems among wealthier individuals and farmers, often supported by government subsidies. Many of these users disconnected from the national electricity grid, concentrating the financial burden of maintaining fossil fuel-based power plants and aging infrastructure on a shrinking pool of grid-connected consumers—mainly low-income households. Electricity prices rose as a result, deepening energy inequality. The power minister, Awais Leghari, acknowledged policy missteps, noting that officials had encouraged solar producers to offset their bills by selling surplus energy to the national grid. This led the government to pay for power it did not need, allowing affluent landowners and businessmen to access electricity at little or no cost, while poorer citizens faced higher prices.[27] In June 2025, the Pakistani government imposed a 10% tax on imported solar panels, nearly all of which came from China. Khalid Waleed, an energy economist at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, warned that the tax could deter lower- and middle-income households from adopting solar technology. He noted that those who might be priced out of switching to solar were the same individuals already bearing the brunt of rising electricity costs. This development risked further deepening the energy divide, as wealthier households remained insulated through solar adoption while poorer consumers faced increasing financial strain.[28] See also
References
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
