Despite being a low-income country plagued by economic and social issues, a green revolution is taking place in Pakistan and the South Asian country has quietly emerged as one of the world’s largest markets for the growing solar industry.
According to the Global Electricity Review 2025 by Ember, an energy think tank in the UK, Pakistan imported 17 giga-watts (GW) of solar panels in 2024, joining the ranks of leading solar nations.
“Solar is now so cheap that large markets can emerge in the space of a single year - as evidenced in Pakistan in 2024,” read the report.
“Amid high electricity prices linked to expensive contracts with privately-owned thermal power stations, rooftop solar installations in Pakistan’s homes and businesses soared as a means of accessing lower-cost power.”
As per the report, global solar generation increased by nearly a third, becoming the largest source of new electricity.
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“Its rise was on display everywhere in 2024, from world leaders like China, India, Brazil and the EU to new markets in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The startling expansion and cost reduction of battery storage offer another positive, enhancing the economics of solar power still further,” it said.
Ember noted that Pakistan imported 17 GW of solar panels in 2024 to meet its growing consumer demand, which is double the amount imported in 2023.
“Within just a year, Pakistan became one of the world’s largest markets for new solar installations in 2024,” it said.
The figures are far higher than the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) numbers released earlier, which shared that the total installed solar capacity in Pakistan grew from 321 MW in 2021 to 4,124 MW by December 2024.
Meanwhile, there has been a growing shift towards alternative energy sources in Pakistan, especially solar, which has become increasingly popular among residential and commercial sectors.
This rising trend has left policymakers grappling with its implications for the national grid and energy sector, as electricity consumption remains stagnant.
Nonetheless, several projects have been initiated and dozens of companies have installed solar power systems to exploit this relatively cheaper energy source.
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Meanwhile, the UK energy think tank noted that Pakistan’s case “shows that the low-cost, fast-to build nature of solar power can transform electricity systems at an unprecedented rate”.
However, Ember cautioned that updated system planning and regulatory frameworks are essential alongside panel deployment to ensure a sustainable and managed transition.
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