akistan is blessed with numerous natural resources that can facilitate sustainable social and economic development. An abundance of sunshine is one such natural resource. It is in our interest to harness it to decarbonise electricity generation sector. According to Pakistan Economic Survey (2023 - 24), thermal sources represented 59.45% of installed capacity, followed by hydropower with 25.35%, nuclear power with 8.41% and renewable with 6.79% of installed capacity. In terms of electricity generation, thermal source produced the most electricity with roughly 45.88% share, followed by hydropower with 31.67%, nuclear with 18.19% share and renewables 4.26% respectively. Altogether renewables (including hydropower) produced 35.93% electricity in FY2024 however, without hydropower, the overall share of renewable resources sharply reduced to 4.26% respectively.

Pakistan must prioritise other renewable sources, particularly solar PV, to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Pakistan should work to phase out fossil fuels as quickly as possible to remain competitive at the global level. According to Carbon Brief solar PV based electricity is now cheaper than coal and gas in some countries. An exponential growth in its installed capacity can help Pakistan bring down the electricity prices. This can promote employment creation, foster sustainable economic growth and help mitigate poverty.

A Deutsche Welle report said Pakistan was expected to install 17 GW of solar PV in 2024. Ember, in its report titled Solar power continues to surge in 2024, said that Pakistan imported 12.5 GW of solar PV panels during January-July 2024. Had all these imported PV panels been installed in 2024, it would represent excellent growth. However, the country must also ensure that the imported solar PV panels follow solar PV industry standards. Households should pay attention to regular service and cleaning of PV panels. Taking these precautions can help us maximise return on investment and guarantee that the installed PV panels work for at least 25 years. Huawei Technologies Co Ltd suggests that negligence in maintenance and cleaning of solar PV panels can result in decline of electricity production from the installed units. Thus, it is vital to regularly clean PV panels to extend their life span and to optimise their functioning.

Solar PV based electricity is now cheaper than coal and gas in many countries.

The solar PV revolution in 2024 should be just the beginning for Pakistan. It will be beneficial if the country can maintain the trend for at least a decade. India had more than 102 GW of installed solar capacity on February 11 (2025). According to the National Solar Energy Federation of India, Rajasthan had over 33 GW of installed solar capacity followed by Gujarat with 32.9 GW; Tamil Nadu with 24.5 GW; Karnataka with 23 GW; and Maharashtra with 21.5 GW.

As per Solar Power Europe, China installed 253 GW of solar PV in 2023 alone. It was followed by the US with 32.4 GW; Brazil with 15.4 GW; and Germany with 15 GW. Pakistan installed 1.3 GW of solar PV in 2023. It is encouraging that Pakistan is scaling up its installed solar PV capacity. Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems has pointed out that Germany exported electricity worth 1.94 billion euros in 2013 and over 2 billion euros in 2015. This can happen in Pakistan as well. Decentralised power production can leave surplus electricity at the national grid level which can then be exported to neighbouring countries.

According to the Petroleum Division (Ministry of Energy) Pakistan imported petroleum products and crude oil worth $8.4 billion during FY 2024. 79 percent of the imports were used by the transport sector. During FY 2023, 11 percent of imported petroleum products were consumed by the power sector and 77 percent by the transport sector.

Pakistan must phase out its reliance on fossil fuels. Rapid expansion of solar PV technology will be a step in the right direction. It will lower our GHG emissions, mitigate poverty, bring down electricity prices, increase export revenue and create jobs.

The writer is a Stockholm-based policy analyst and the founder and operations manager of Project Green Earth (www.projectge.org)