Pakistan is tapping into solar power at an ‘unprecedented’ rate. Here’s why

['Betsy Joles', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] TPR: The Public's Radio 2025-08-21 11:01:11

Solar panels are seen on the rooftops of houses on June 24, 2025 in Islamabad, Pakistan. The boom has materialized thanks to an overabundance of solar panels available from neighboring China, which has been steadily ramping up its production of solar technology. “So, it’s like a democratization of solar.”Workers install solar panels on the rooftop of a business on June 30, 2025 in Islamabad, Pakistan. Solar adoption reveals cracks in Pakistan’s power systemBut the millions of new solar users — like Zia and his neighbors — are having an impact on the financing of Pakistan’s power sector. Waqas Moosa, chairman of the Pakistan Solar Association, says Pakistan’s solar rush is unique because it was almost entirely people-driven.