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.
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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.