Are solar panels 'unaffordable' in Pakistan?

But the mass adoption of solar panels also risked making the power provided by the Pakistani grid “unaffordable”, Awais Leghari, the energy minister, told the Financial Times. “Demand is shrinking off the grid. That’s a big concern for us.”

Will Pakistan give away free solar panels?

Despite the federal government’s concern about its power network, the provincial government of Punjab, home to more than half of Pakistan’s 240mn population, announced in July that it would give away free or heavily subsidised solar panels for millions of citizens struggling with rising electricity bills.

How is Leghari making grid power more affordable?

Leghari said his government was making efforts to make grid power more affordable by renegotiating with Chinese and domestic investors over the power sector debts, as well as privatising power distribution companies and promoting the electrification of motorcycles, a main mode of transport.

Why are some factories shutting down in Pakistan?

Some factories have been forced to shut even as the Pakistani government seeks to boost exports to transform the import-dependent, boom-and-bust economy. Jenny Chase, lead solar analyst at BloombergNEF, said the cost of panels has halved to about 10 cents per watt, from 24 cents last year.

Why are power tariffs increasing in Pakistan?

Financing mostly flowed to the coal-fired plants, and power tariffs in Pakistan have more than doubled over the past three years alone, as the cash-strapped government scaled back subsidies and passed the capacity payments made to power producers on to consumers.