<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/pakistans-citizen-led-solar-rush-where-panels-power-education-and-health-and-are-gifted-in-dowries/>
"You might have listened to a podcast or read an article about Pakistan’s solar
rush. Seeing it on the ground and on rooftops and being able to speak with
experts in Pakistan gave me a fuller picture of how a country with 250 million
people and a GDP per capita of about $A2,300 a year is embracing solar.
The first thing that energy adviser Syed Faizan Ali Shah wanted to make clear
was that the solar boom did not come out of nowhere.
In Punjab, where load-shedding was rampant and schools could become too hot to
operate safely, the government rolled out solar across thousands of public
schools.
This was associated with mass training of solar installers and the creation of
a trade that didn’t exist previously. It meant kids could go to school and the
fans, lights and other essential equipment could keep running even when the
grid supply failed.
Prior to this, in 2015–16, the Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park in Bahawalpur brought
online four 100 megawatt (MW) utility-scale solar projects in Punjab. It was
developed under the provincial government led by then chief minister Shehbaz
Sharif, now Pakistan’s Prime Minister.
These antecedents meant there was some experience and industry base for the
citizen-led solar rush that has followed.
That rush has been extraordinary: 38 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity
across the residential, industrial, agricultural and commercial sectors,
including 18% of households according to Renewables First and Ember (see their
recent report on The solarisation of Pakistan’s energy economy). A 28% share of
Pakistan’s electricity generation was from distributed solar in FY25, up from
just 10% in FY23.
Households and businesses in Pakistan rushed to install solar because
electricity rates increased dramatically, jumping 155% over three years and
Pakistan hit 38% inflation in May 2023. The cost of panels, meanwhile, dropped
and some early adopters were able to benefit from a generous net-metering
policy.
Now, according to IEEFA, residential solar with a medium battery produces
electricity at around Pakistani rupees (PKR) 20/kWh (about $A0.10/kWh) – half
the PKR 40/kWh (about $A0.20/kWh) cost of grid electricity."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
