Pakistan's grassroots solar boom: How cheap Chinese panels and a failing grid sparked the world's fastest energy transition
By
Jan Rosenow
Summary
Pakistan has become the world's second-largest importer of solar panels, with approximately 55 GW arriving in the country, driven by citizens taking matters into their own hands amid constant electricity blackouts and a failing national grid. The article examines how this grassroots, unmanaged solar transition happened — fueled by cheap Chinese panels, high electricity tariffs, and government incompetence — while also serving as a cautionary tale about the risks of an unplanned energy transition, including grid destabilization, stranded assets, and lost government revenue.
Source
bskyPakistan's grassroots solar boom: How cheap Chinese panels and a failing grid sparked the world's fastest energy transitionthenewworld.co.ukKey quotes
· 3 pulledBut Pakistan is also a cautionary tale for what happens in an unmanaged transition and by no means is this a blueprint for other countries to follow. But it shows just how rapidly solar can be deployed around the world.
Pakistan imported roughly 7.6 GW of solar panels in 2023, then 16.4 GW in 2024, then 16.9 GW in 2025. Around 55 GW have now arrived in total, which makes Pakistan the second-largest importer of solar panels in the world.
Faced with constant electricity blackouts and a failing grid, people in Pakistan took matters into their own hands. The result is a lesson for the rest of the world, and also a warning.
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