Why solar power is booming in Pakistan

DW (English)

In 2022, Pakistan experienced one of its worst economic crises in decades. Energy prices skyrocketed, and power outages were frequent. Pakistan has since become the world’s sixth-largest solar market, after private users began taking the initiative.

Transcript

00:01Farida has been taking care of her paralyzed daughter for the past 30 years.

00:07She needs a well-ventilated room to prevent her getting bed sores.

00:13But high energy prices and hours-long power blackouts here in Karachi

00:17were making things difficult for the modest family.

00:21So last year Farida used up her savings, equivalent to 1,500 euros,

00:26to install a solar power system on the rooftop of her home.

00:31My sick daughter had a lot of problems when we didn't have solar power.

00:37We weren't able to nebulize her.

00:41And if our phones weren't charged, we couldn't contact the doctor.

00:46Thanks to the solar facility, all our devices can now be charged.

00:51The fans work and my daughter stays healthy.

00:54We don't have any problems.

00:56In 2022, Pakistan was hit by one of its worst economic crises in decades.

01:02The cost of imported crude oil for energy generation skyrocketed, as did electricity prices.

01:09In addition, systemic energy transmission problems saw power outages become more frequent.

01:15This pushed Pakistani households to get their hands on low-cost Chinese solar technology imports

01:22to cut electricity bills and avoid power outages.

01:26Last year, Pakistan imported a record 16 gigawatts of solar panel capacity,

01:32making it the world's sixth largest solar market.

01:35Mohamed Mustafa Amjad is program director at the Renewables First think tank.

01:41He witnessed the solar boom firsthand.

01:45We had people saving up, essentially, for solar panels.

01:49You ask anybody on the street what they're saving up to if they have that capacity,

01:54and the first answer became solar panels for a lot of the consumers.

01:57It wasn't a car. It wasn't a home.

01:59It was having a solar home system if they owned a house.

02:03And that's the beauty of this transition that we are witnessing in Pakistan.

02:08Abid Omar owns a textile factory in Karachi.

02:12It's one of the many companies in Pakistan that are catching up with the trend.

02:18This pilot project on the rooftop generates about 80 kilowatts,

02:24which means it can meet 10% of the factory's energy needs.

02:29And the owner wants to expand it to 500 kilowatts.

02:33We have four different sources of energy.

02:38We're using gas generators, we're using diesel generators,

02:41and we also have a grid supply connection.

02:45Running a factory, it is very important that you have a consistent and reliable energy supply.

02:51So, adding solar to the mix gives us a better position.

03:01Most of the solar installations have been set up without government action,

03:06and came as a surprise to the energy ministry.

03:09But the decline in demand from the grid is driving up costs for those who remain connected,

03:15while also reducing state revenue from the grid.

03:18Siyad Faizan is a member of the Prime Minister's Solarization Committee.

03:24He says that despite the fear of grid defections in the short term,

03:28the government is aiming for an environmentally friendly energy mix.

03:32Over the next 10 years, we will be using solar, wind and hydel stands upright.

03:39There are a lot of hydel projects ongoing, such as Dasu, Momin Dam, Tarbela, Bhasha Dam.

03:49So, all these power plants will come in over the next period of, say, around 10 years.

03:55Similarly, this solarization is also ongoing.

03:59The push from residents is driving change in Pakistan's energy mix.

04:04But the effort required will be gigantic.

04:07The country needs to invest over 90 billion euros over the next 10 years

04:12to achieve 70% clean energy.

04:14Not only in energy production, but also what goes into the grid.

04:19The grid will need to evolve massively.

04:23The role of the grid changes in all of this.

04:26Instead of producing electricity, now it has to match electricity or match demand and supply,

04:31provide the stability, provide the ancillary services that are required for grid stability

04:36and for more solar to be accommodated.

04:39Around one in five households in Pakistan have installed solar panels.

04:45Like Farida, millions more from urban centers to villages are making the switch fast.

04:51A step that is giving them greater financial freedom and comfort.

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