![\"Vaqar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656564_4979187_updates.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEnergy expert Vaqar Zakaria believes solar power makes \u201cexcellent economic sense\u201d \u2014 and he lives by it. For over five years, his rooftop panels have slashed his bills, sometimes to zero, even allowing him to sell surplus electricity back through net metering.<\/p>\n
Last month, he took it further. After buying two electric vehicles, he has almost \u201cdeclared independence\u201d from the national grid. With more panels and doubled batteries, even his cars run on sunshine. \u201cI am moving away from their fuel, and I don\u2019t need their power,\u201d said the CEO of Hagler Bailly, Pakistan, an Islamabad-based environmental consultancy firm, over the phone from Islamabad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI call it the hand of God driving my car,\u201d Zakaria said.<\/p>\n
He is already seeing economic gains from his investment. \u201cThe electricity I generate, including battery costs, comes to about Rs12 ($0.043) per unit, while it can be sold to the Islamabad Electric Supply Company at around Rs26 ($0.092) per unit.\u201d However, he adds that he does not currently claim this benefit, as it requires considerable follow-up.<\/p>\n
Doing some quick back-of-the-envelope calculations, he compared the petrol-run vehicles he used until a few months back to the EV he purchased a month ago. \u201cThe total cost of operating the EV comes to about Rs2 ($0.0071) per km using power generated at home, compared to the Rs27 ($0.096) per km I was paying earlier for running vehicles on the fossil fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
This figure does not include the regular maintenance costs his earlier cars required-lubricating oils, oil and air filters, and brakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn EV requires near-zero maintenance,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Vaqar Zakaria\u2019s white EV charges under rooftop solar panels at his home \u2014 powered by the sun.\u2014 Vaqar Zakaria<\/p>\n
While Zakaria can afford a full shift off the grid, most households cannot.<\/p>\n
“The solar landscape will remain unchanged unless power companies introduce profit-sharing models that turn consumers into \u2018prosumers\u2019 \u2014 both producers and users of energy \u2014 supported by microfinance to help cover upfront costs,\u201d he said. Achieving this would require the privatisation of utilities.\u201d <\/p>\n
For now, with or without batteries, solar energy has become a popular alternative for many households. \u201cWhat\u2019s happening in Pakistan is quite significant, as electricity consumers\u2019 dependence on the national grid is falling,\u201d explained Rabia Babar, data manager at Renewables First, an Islamabad-based think-and-do tank for energy and environment.<\/p>\n
Grid-based electricity demand, she pointed out, dropped 11% in FY25 compared to FY22 levels, largely because more people and businesses are switching to solar.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the day, far less electricity is being drawn from the grid, which means gas-fired power plants are being used much less than before.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"More](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656564_2726227_updates.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
More than 100 young Pakistani women from across the country have been trained in and certified in solar roof installation by LADIESFUND Energy Pvt Ltd through Dawood Global Foundation\u2019s Educate a Girl programme. They have solarised a women\u2019s shelter, a church and an orphanage. \u2014 LADIESFUND Energy (Pvt.) LtdThe turning point<\/p>\n
Haneea Isaad, an energy finance specialist at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, recalled the time in 2022, as the turning point when people realised they needed a cheaper alternative. \u201cThe prices of liquefied natural gas shot up after Russian forces entered Ukraine and the country faced a gas shortage, resulting in widespread power outages. Electricity prices almost tripled in just a couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those who could afford to, Isaad said, opted for a one-time investment in installing solar panels instead of paying for expensive and unreliable electricity.<\/p>\n
According to EMBER, an independent clean energy think tank, solar\u2019s share in the energy mix has risen from 2.9% in 2020 to 32.3% by the end of 2025.<\/p>\n
It is this quiet solar revolution that may help ride out the current energy crisis triggered by the United States-Israel war on Iran, which led to the shutting of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report by Renewables First and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, published earlier this week.<\/p>\n
“Pakistan\u2019s solar revolution is quietly redrawing the country\u2019s energy map, cutting grid dependence, reducing LNG exposure, and building a buffer against global market shocks that most of its neighbours are yet to find,” said Babar, one of the co-authors of the report.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656564_5867347_updates.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
A house in rural Gilgit with solar panels. \u2014 SHAMA Solar.<\/p>\n
In fact, the report says that Pakistan has avoided over $12 billion in oil and gas imports since 2020 due to its rapid solar growth \u2014 and could save another $6.3 billion in 2026 alone at current prices.<\/p>\n
Lead analyst Lauri Myllyvirta, co-founder of CREA, said the solar boom has cut import bills and now acts “like an insurance policy” against oil and LNG shocks from the Gulf.<\/p>\n
Industries are also turning to solar, significantly reducing their need for LNG significantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis shift has had a direct impact on government policy. Pakistan has gone back to its LNG suppliers to renegotiate long-term contracts for the diversion of surplus cargoes to international markets, which are now oversupplied due to the sharp reduction in gas consumption,\u201d said Babar.<\/p>\n
Pakistan has been importing LNG since 2015, after domestic reserves declined. It has been mainly used in the power sector \u2014 accounting for nearly a quarter of Pakistan\u2019s electricity supply \u2014 followed by the industrial sector. <\/p>\n
Supplied from Qatar via the Strait of Hormuz, LNG has become less attractive due to high prices for industry and the growing shift to solar in homes. With some LNG landing in Pakistan before the conflict began and domestic gas filling the gap from affected cargoes, supplies may be enough to last until mid-April.<\/p>\n
“Pakistan has historically been vulnerable to volatile global LNG prices, which strain on foreign exchange reserves when prices spike,” Babar said.<\/p>\n
Isaad agreed. \u201cSolar has provided a buffer. With the power sector also relying on coal imports from Indonesia and South Africa, supply pressures are unlikely to pose a problem in the near term. Seasonal hydropower and mild weather are also likely to prevent an immediate spike in LNG-based power demand. For now, Pakistan has been spared \u2014 unlike Bangladesh and India, which have been hit the hardest in South Asia.\u201d <\/p>\n
Not out of the woods yet <\/p>\n
But the solar panels have not shielded Pakistanis from the rising oil prices. The country saw a 20% jump \u2014 the highest in its history \u2014 with petrol and diesel costing $1.15 and $1.20 per litre, respectively. As transport drives the economy, higher oil prices quickly pushed up fares and the cost of groceries. <\/p>\n
In response, Zakaria said the crisis highlights a clear path forward: embrace EVs, reduce diesel dependence, and expand renewables. \u201cBegin with two-wheelers,\u201d he suggested, though a full EV mass transit system would be ideal for Pakistan. He added that shifting freight from trucks to rail could significantly cut fuel costs.<\/p>\n
He said he supports the oil rationing and austerity measures taken by the government.<\/p>\n
Last week, addressing the nation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced these measures on television.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe entire region is currently in a state of war,\u201d he said, outlining steps, including a four-day workweek for government employees and spring holidays for schools from March 16 to the end of the month. He also said 50 percent of government staff would work from home on a rotating basis and recommended similar arrangements for the private sector.<\/p>\n
Higher education institutions have shifted to online classes to save fuel, as have meetings across federal and provincial governments. Fuel allowances for government offices have also been reduced.<\/p>\n
Under the government\u2019s austerity measures, federal and provincial cabinet members will forgo two months\u2019 salaries and allowances, while lawmakers\u2019 pay will be reduced by 25 percent. Ministers, parliamentarians, and officials may travel abroad only when essential \u2014 and must fly economy. Weddings will be capped at 200 guests, served with a single-dish meal.<\/p>\n
The Human Cost<\/p>\n
But these measures have brought little relief to Saba Nasreen\u2019s household finances. The 52-year-old mother of two, who works as a domestic help, said, \u201cRising fuel prices have literally crippled us; when fuel costs go up, food prices follow. We hardly buy fruit or meat; now even milk and vegetables are beyond our range,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
With Eid ul Fitr just days away, she said, \u201cThis will be the first Eid in as long as I can remember that I won\u2019t be making sheer khurma for my daughters,\u201d referring to the traditional sweet vermicelli dish prepared in many Muslim households across the subcontinent. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe price of a box of vermicelli has doubled this year, from Rs150 ($0.53) to Rs300 ($1.07),\u201d she said, adding, \u201cIn any case, the attack on Iran has already dimmed our festivities; I\u2019m not happy inside, my heart feels heavy.\u201d<\/p>\n
For many, the solar revolution offers hope \u2014 but for households like Nasreen\u2019s, the struggle continues.<\/p>\n
Zofeen Ebrahim is an independent journalist. She posts on X @zofeen28<\/p>\n
This article was originally published in the Inter Press Service news agency’s UN Bureau. It has been reproduced on Geo.tv with permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Energy expert Vaqar Zakaria believes solar power makes \u201cexcellent economic sense\u201d \u2014 and he lives by it. For…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351203,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[114,184,85,46],"class_list":["post-351202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/351203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}