On the sun-baked rooftops of Islamabad, a quiet revolution is underway. Solar panels glint in the harsh summer sun, dotting houses, mosques, and factories alike. What began as a grassroots response to rising electricity costs and relentless heat waves has now transformed into a national movement, with Pakistan experiencing what experts describe as an “unprecedented” solar boom. Yet, this surge in renewable energy adoption is only part of the country’s broader, complex struggle to break free from the grip of fossil fuels and embrace a cleaner, more sustainable future.
According to NPR, the transformation began in earnest when Muhammad Zia ur Rahman, a retired marketing professional in Islamabad, watched his local mosque slash its power bills to nearly zero by installing a rooftop solar system. Inspired, Zia covered his own rooftop garden with solar panels in 2021, hoping to gain some relief from soaring energy prices. “We made a conscious decision,” he shared. “To save on the electricity bill, we should go for solar.” In the years since, nearly every home on his street has followed suit. “I have them in front of my house, right and left — everywhere,” Zia told NPR.
This local story is echoed across Pakistan. Driven by a combination of skyrocketing utility bills, unreliable grid electricity, and record-breaking heat waves, Pakistanis have turned to solar at a rate that Jan Rosenow of the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute called unparalleled: “The scale of solar being deployed in such a short period of time has not been seen, I think, anywhere ever before.” Data from the Islamabad-based think tank Renewables First shows that solar imports to Pakistan more than tripled last year, reaching $2.1 billion. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, the country imported 80% of the previous year’s record amount.
Pakistan’s solar surge has been fueled in large part by China’s overproduction of solar panels, which has driven prices down by more than 40% since 2023. This glut has made solar technology affordable for millions of Pakistanis who previously could only dream of energy independence. Adnan Shams, an electrician in Islamabad, described to NPR how his workload has exploded as more people call on him for solar installations. The proliferation of cheaper, more reliable batteries — also imported from China — is now further accelerating the adoption of solar power, as households seek to store energy for use during frequent power outages.
But this rush to solar is not just a matter of economics or convenience. It’s also a response to a decades-long crisis in Pakistan’s power sector. The country’s aging grid and outdated infrastructure have caused repeated blackouts and left many citizens disillusioned with the state’s ability to provide reliable electricity. Meanwhile, as climate change intensifies, longer and hotter summers have made access to affordable, consistent power a matter of survival.
At the same time, the government’s financial bind has only deepened. As NPR notes, reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — which has lent Pakistan more than $10 billion in the past decade — have led to the rollback of energy subsidies and a doubling of power prices in the last three years. This has pushed even more citizens to seek alternatives like solar. Waqas Moosa, chairman of the Pakistan Solar Association, called it a “democratization of solar,” with individuals making the decision to take control of their energy needs.
Industrial giants are also jumping on the solar bandwagon. On August 21, 2025, Panther Tyres Limited, a major Pakistani tyre manufacturer, announced it had commissioned a 2.5MW solar power system at its factory, according to a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange. Panther Tyres said the initiative would “strengthen its energy mix by meeting a considerable portion of its power requirements through clean and renewable sources,” reaffirming its commitment to environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, and operational cost savings. The move follows similar investments by other companies: Kohinoor Mills Limited is planning a 7.2MW solar system, Dewan Cement Limited has completed a 6MW system in Karachi, and International Steels Limited activated a 6.4MW solar project this May.
Yet, the solar boom is not without its complications. As more households and businesses generate their own power, demand for electricity from the national grid has declined. However, the government remains locked into long-term contracts with independent power producers, requiring it to pay for electricity whether it’s used or not. According to Pakistan’s energy minister Awais Leghari, this means “the same number of payments needs to be made by a lesser number of consumers.” The government is now scrambling to attract more industrial customers to the grid and considering targeted subsidies for low-income users.
Meanwhile, the government has begun to regulate the solar sector more tightly, including lowering the rate it pays for surplus electricity fed back to the grid and, in June, imposing a 10% tax on imported solar panels. Khalid Waleed, an energy economist at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, warned NPR that such taxes could price out those on the brink of being able to afford solar, leaving them to bear the brunt of rising electricity costs.
Pakistan’s ambitions extend beyond solar. The government’s New Energy Vehicle Policy 2025-30, launched in June, sets a target for 30% of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030 and 100% by 2050. The policy includes over PKR 100 billion in subsidies, plans for 3,000 charging stations nationwide, and incentives for local manufacturing, especially of electric two- and three-wheelers. Partnerships with global giants like BYD and Chinese firms promise new assembly plants and charging infrastructure. Yet, as Dialogue Earth reports, challenges remain: policy inconsistency, lack of infrastructure, affordability issues, and the government’s ongoing dependence on fossil fuel revenues.
The stakes are high. Pakistan imported $15.9 billion in petroleum products in 2024-25, with the transport sector accounting for 80% of consumption. The government’s Petroleum Development Levy and a new carbon levy are expected to bring in over $5 billion next year, revenues that could be threatened by a shift to electric mobility. At the same time, air pollution in cities like Lahore and Karachi has reached dangerous levels, with Pakistan ranking third globally for the highest air pollution. Yasir Husain, founder of the Climate Action Centre, told Dialogue Earth, “Replacing [conventional cars] with EVs is not just a climate solution – it’s a public health necessity.”
Despite the hurdles, optimism remains. Experts like Khalid Waleed see Pakistan “on the brink of an EV revolution,” especially if China’s overcapacity leads to a flood of affordable electric vehicles, just as it did with solar panels. For ordinary citizens like Dilawar Khan, who is saving up for his first solar panel to power an air cooler during sweltering summers, the hope is simple: “Those who have solar, they are using it, and they have electricity. It should be in every home.”
As Pakistan navigates the crossroads of energy transition, the choices it makes now — balancing fiscal realities, environmental imperatives, and the needs of its people — will shape its future for decades to come.
