By Our Correspondent
LAHORE: Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has called for a policy framework to promote domestic manufacturing of solar systems, saying Pakistan could create millions of jobs, generate clean and affordable energy and earn valuable foreign exchange by developing a local solar industry.
“It is unfortunate that solar system manufacturing is not being done due to lack of a government policy,” the governor said while addressing the 3rd International Solar Power Conclave & Solar Technology Excellence Awards 2026, organised by Energy Update in collaboration with the Pakistan Solar Association (PSA), Renewable Energy Association of Pakistan (REAP) and Pakistan Alternative Energy Association (PAEA), here at a local hotel on Friday.
He said the high cost of electricity had made solar energy increasingly important for ordinary Pakistanis, describing sunlight as “Allah’s gift” that should be utilised to reduce the burden of electricity bills while also protecting the environment.
“If we are able to create a solar manufacturing industry, it will create millions of jobs and also produce clean, green energy, which is cheaper on consumers’ pockets and better for the environment,” he said.
The governor urged the solar business community to take the initiative and begin manufacturing solar systems locally instead of waiting indefinitely for a government policy. He pointed out that the industry had already brought solar technology into Pakistan without substantial government support and said a similar initiative could now help establish a domestic manufacturing base.
With local production, he said, Pakistan would not only meet its own growing demand but could also export solar systems and earn much-needed foreign exchange.
He said it was encouraging to see the rapid spread of solar panels across the country, observing that from above, “almost 90 percent of roofs” in cities appeared to be covered with solar panels.
Highlighting government efforts to expand access to solar energy, Sardar Saleem Haider Khan said the Sindh government had distributed hundreds of thousands of solar panels free of cost among livestock farmers and flood-affected communities.
“Allah has bestowed us with abundance of sunlight, which must be used to serve the interests of the masses,” he said.
Referring to recent disruptions in the energy supply chain caused by the war in the region, he said electricity load-shedding had increased when LNG containers could not arrive. However, the growing availability of solar energy could eventually make expensive grid electricity less relevant for domestic consumers.
Punjab Minister for Energy Faisal Ayub said Pakistan had experienced its worst electricity load-shedding crisis beginning in 2009-10, which he said was overcome during the PML-N government’s 2013-18 tenure.
He recalled that in Punjab, the then chief minister Shehbaz Sharif had installed power plants to address the electricity shortage, but said the country was now facing a different challenge — the high cost of electricity.
“Although it is a federal subject, we will provide support to the solar energy sector to overcome this challenge of expensive electricity,” Faisal Ayub said.
He observed that whether or not governments promoted solar energy, consumers and the industry would eventually move towards it because of the economics of solar power. The government, therefore, needed to align its policies with this transition.
The minister assured the solar sector of the Punjab government’s full support and said the provincial government would engage the federal energy minister and bring PSA representatives on board to devise a policy facilitating the expansion of solar energy in Pakistan.
“We will welcome suggestions from energy experts to promote this sector,” he said, warning that failure to support the solar sector at this stage could damage Pakistan’s interests.
He said a friendly policy for the solar industry could generate prosperity not only for businesses associated with renewable energy but for the country as a whole.
Pakistan Solar Association (PSA) President Adil Mahmood said solar energy was already contributing up to 40,000 MW to Pakistan’s energy supply and argued that without this contribution the country would otherwise be experiencing five to seven hours of load-shedding every day.
He said the government was charging four paisas per unit, adding that this translated into a cost of around Rs1.5 million per MW per month, which he said needed to be removed.
Adil Mahmood said the solar market had expanded rapidly when there was no tax on solar panels, but subsequent measures had created hurdles for the industry. He also pointed out that net metering had now been abolished, describing these developments as impediments to further promotion of solar energy.
He urged the government to abolish duties and sales tax on batteries and proposed the establishment of local lithium battery manufacturing plants, which could eventually produce batteries for export as well.
Naeem Qureshi, Managing Editor of Energy Update, said the organisation was celebrating its 20th anniversary after being launched in 2006 with the objective of promoting renewable energy in Pakistan.
He said Energy Update had so far organised around 180 seminars, training workshops, policy discussions and international conferences to promote renewable energy.
Recalling the early years of the renewable energy sector, Qureshi said the organisation initially faced considerable challenges because conventional electricity was cheaper than solar energy. The situation, he said, had now been reversed as electricity had become unaffordable for the common man.
“It is high time for solar energy to peak in Pakistan,” he said.
Qureshi said solar energy consumption had surpassed 40,000 MW, saving Pakistan around $6 billion, while the country had become the largest importer of solar systems from China at highly competitive rates.
He said the environment-friendly energy sector had also generated up to two million jobs in Pakistan.
Qureshi further highlighted the potential of wind energy, saying Sindh’s wind corridor had the capacity to generate around 50,000 MW, while current wind-energy production stood at between 1,800 and 2,300 MW.
Earlier, a panel discussion featuring Director Energy Institute LUMS Dr Naveed Arshad, Managing Director National Grid Company Altaf Hussain, Zohaib-ul-Haq Techinal Head Growatt Pakistan and Mian Fahad Regional Head TBEA, Central and South Asia focused on energy storage and Pakistan’s evolving renewable energy landscape.
The panellists noted that Pakistan had become a rare member of the 25 percent Solar Club, saying the development had occurred largely organically rather than as a result of a comprehensive government policy. They linked the rapid growth of solar energy to changing market conditions following the Russia-Ukraine war.
Dr Naveed Arshad described battery storage as “a new AI for the energy sector” and said Pakistan’s energy transition by 2035 would move beyond its current model of distributed energy into five new dimensions: distributed storage, microgrids and vertical power plants, AI and data analytics, energy efficiency and conservation, and circularity.
Ceo Inverex Solar Energy M. Zakir Ali also addressed on this occasion.
A second panel discussion, moderated by Dr Jawaria Shakeel, Director Sustainability at Assure International, examined investment opportunities in photovoltaic (PV) systems and solar batteries.
The discussion included Hussain Diwan of Diwan International, Joseph Chu, Director C&I Energy Storage Pakistan, Muhammad Farhan, CEO Power Highway, Hasnat Khan, Senior Vice President PSA, and Maroof Ahmad Zubairi of AESL.
Dr Jawaria advised industry stakeholders to carefully determine when to switch to solar while taking into account the timing and available capacity.
Muhammad Farhan cited Bangladesh as an example, saying domestic users with installed capacities of 5-10 kW could also sell surplus energy to their neighbours.
“The solar equipment must be insured,” he added. Later, Chief Guest Governor Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider Khan conferred recognition on leading participants of the renewable energy industry for their contributions to Pakistan’s solar and renewable energy sector. Some 30 leading companies awarded the 3rd Solar Technology Excellence Awards 2026.