But electricity prices are so high that “for all of last year, we could only afford to run four,” he says. In doing so, he joined a quiet revolution that has made Pakistan the third largest importer of solar panels in the world last year. Why We Wrote This Pakistan is the third largest importer of solar panels in the world. It’s just that solar energy is a lot cheaper than conventional power. It has slapped a 10% tax on imported solar panels, and plans to raise that to 18% in next year’s budget.