By Afaf Ali
Against the odds, a solar revolution has unfolded in an economically unstable and climate vulnerable country. Pakistan’s ‘bottom-up’ solar revolution gained international recognition when a highly exponential peak in solar panel imports was achieved, proportional to the equally persistent rise in electricity prices and inflation. Pakistan was the third-largest importer of solar panels in 2023 that has continued to grow in 2024, reaching 17 GW in direct imports from China. After decades of enduring power outages and price hikes in electricity, citizens — driven by despair and necessity — finally took control of their electricity needs.
The surge was only possible by the fact that solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is now the most inexpensive source of electricity. Amid this solar rush, thought leaders and experts have begun invoking the term ‘Energy Democracy’, a concept rooted in the empowerment of citizens to become active players in the energy market. Just as Germany transformed its electricity sector v