Are Chinese solar panels a solution to Pakistan's rising electricity prices?

Pakistan's skyrocketing electricity prices have pushed cash-strapped households and businesses to find relief from rising costs and rolling blackouts by using low-cost Chinese solar panels.

Will China's solar influx spark a new crisis in Islamabad?

Amid soaring electricity prices, Pakistanis are switching to affordable Chinese solar panels to power their homes, small businesses, and factories. But the solar influx is leaving Islamabad with a lingering budget hole that could spark a new crisis.

Why did Pakistan end net metering?

In 2017, Pakistan started a system for "net metering" where people can sell excess electricity produced by their solar panels back to the national grid. But in March, the government indicated it wanted to end the net-metering policy to meet IMF criteria for state spending as it tries to stabilize its economy.

Are solar panels making the grid 'unaffordable'?

But the minister also expressed concern that the continued interest and use of solar panels risks making the grid "unaffordable" due to a sustained loss of paying customers. "Demand is shrinking off the grid. That's a big concern for us," he said. Daud Khattak is a senior editor for RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal.

Why are electricity prices so high in Pakistan?

Financing mostly flowed to the coal-fired or gas-fueled plants, which left electricity prices largely tied to fluctuations in the global market for fossil fuels, with power tariffs in Pakistan more than doubling in the past three years alone.

Is Islamabad a good news for the environment?

While this may be good news for the environment and global efforts to adopt cleaner forms of energy production, the shift could bring new headaches for the government as demand for energy from the state power grid shrinks and Islamabad juggles its tenuous financial outlook with the corresponding drop in revenue.