Pakistan's DIY rooftop solar surge cuts $12 billion from fuel imports
A grassroots wave of rooftop solar installations in Pakistan has reduced the country's fossil-fuel import bill by about $12 billion, easing pressure from soaring electricity costs.
When electricity bills in Pakistan surged to as much as 30-40% of household incomes, a steep decline in solar-panel prices triggered a rapid, citizen-led adoption of rooftop solar. People bought cheap panels and batteries from local stores and learned installation via YouTube and WhatsApp groups, prompting neighbours, factories and farms to follow suit. Within a few years, about ten percent of the grid’s power comes from solar, making Pakistan the world’s second-largest importer of Chinese panels in 2025.
Over the past decade the country has imported roughly 51 GW of solar capacity, a figure larger than its entire conventional-plant capacity. This grassroots transition is credited with averting more than $12 billion in fossil-fuel imports and could save another $6.3 billion as oil prices rise.
Why it matters
It shows how low-cost, citizen-driven renewable energy can dramatically cut a nation's fuel costs and boost energy security.
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