KARACHI:
Pakistan has reached a historic milestone in solar energy use.
According to a report by the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development, during the summer months, electricity generation from the national grid ranged between 28 to 30 gigawatts (GW).
On the other hand, consumers collectively generated and used about 33 gigawatts through solar power, surpassing the grid’s supply for the first time.
The report states that Pakistan has imported solar panels with a combined capacity of up to 50GW, whereas the total installed capacity of the national electricity grid is around 46 GW.
Among the provinces, Punjab leads in solar energy usage, followed by Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan respectively.
In terms of sector-wise distribution, the residential sector dominates with 16.66 GW of solar power usage.
The commercial sector follows with 3.73 GW, the industrial sector with 7.91 GW, and the agriculture sector with 5.04 GW.
According to the report, 77% of electricity consumers now rely primarily on their own solar systems, while only 23% depend on the national grid for their energy needs.