A man in a hard hat looks at solar panels in a golden landscape.

Pakistan’s solar surge is turning the energy system on its head

With power bills soaring and the national grid failing, Pakistanis are taking the energy transition into their own hands—and creating a bottom-up solar revolution.

Beth Gardiner reports for Yale Environment 360.

In short:

Pakistan’s solar use exploded from 4% to 14% of electricity generation in just three years, thanks to a mix of cheap Chinese panels, massive price hikes, and a failing grid.
Ordinary people — not government mandates — are driving this shift, with everyone from farmers to urban homeowners embracing solar to escape blackouts and save money.
As more people go solar, grid utilities are entering a “death spiral” that risks making electricity even more unaffordable for those left behind unless reforms are urgently implemented.

Key quote:

"This is not government deciding this is the route to take. And it’s not being driven by climate concerns, it’s all about the economics. Renewables are out-competing the traditional sources of energy."

— Muhammad Mustafa Amjad, program director, Renewables First

Why this matters:

Pakistan’s grassroots solar boom is a rare example of climate-friendly energy adoption driven not by ideology, but necessity — and it’s improving health by reducing diesel generator use and giving rural communities cooling, irrigation, and clean power. With heat and energy poverty on the rise globally, it offers a bold, people-powered playbook for other nations. Cheap Chinese panels made the technology accessible, but it’s everyday Pakistanis — struggling with 120 F-degree heat, failing infrastructure, and economic strain — who are turning this into a full-blown energy revolution.

e360.yale.edu

Pakistan’s solar surge is turning the energy system on its head

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