By Yasir Habib Khan

GWADAR, Dec 18 (Gwadar Pro) – “Throughout 2024, sales of solar systems in my store have increased by about 60 percent, as well as revenue has been on an upward trend. Chinese brands are particularly popular because they are good value for money compared to other foreign brands in the Gwadar region,” said Muhammad Baloch running business at Dashti market, one and only trading hub of electronics and solar systems in the Gwadar city.

Small shops selling PV panels on the street in Gwadar [Photo/ Yasir Habib Khan]

“This growth trend did not appear suddenly in one or two weeks. The Gwadar region has long suffered from energy shortages, but now there is an adequate supply of high-quality solar panels, equipment, kits and batteries in our local market, so sales growth is an inevitable trend. In 2021, the Chinese government donated a batch of solar systems to the Gwadar region, and the public feedback was very good, so the public's tendency to choose to buy solar panels and systems has also shown an astonishing growth momentum,” Baloch listed.

Majid Baloch, another shopkeeper at the Airport Road Market, agreed. “By using solar energy to power their homes, homeowners can reduce their reliance on the unstable grid and significantly reduce their monthly utility bills.”

Years back, solar panels, batteries and operating systems were not available in these markets. After China announced to popularize solar systems among the neediest sections of society in Gwadar, the people of Gwadar began to realize that off-grid solar systems are the key to solving the electricity problem.

According to an official with Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, business of selling China-made solar panels and systems is in high gear. “Compared with past, residential and commercial buildings are also being solarized with solar apparatus,” he added.

When asked to Noor Muhammad, a customer at Airport Road Market about his reason to purchase solar sets, he said that the perpetual power failure has become pain in the neck. “Going solar is the sole solution to get rid of such dilemma.”

“Power outages are no longer a problem now, the Chinese solar system is providing excellent service to the people of Gwadar, we are saved,” Abdul Rasheed, a fisherman in the Ghazalwan area near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the old city of Gwadar, who benefited from the solar system donated by China, told Gwadar Pro. The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan cooperated with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China to donate 4,000 solar photovoltaic systems and LED lights to the local area in 2021. Then, China Communication and Constructions Company and Consulate General of China in Karachi jointly carried out the project to light up main streets and the public places of Gwadar.

Raheem Buksh, a social worker told Gwadar Pro that according to his information, these solar donation reached in 42 regions in Gwadar City.

Pakistan’s pace of solar energy adoption is rapidly accelerating, driven largely by an open market. As a result, Pakistan is now the world’s sixth-largest solar market and the third-largest buyer of Chinese-made solar panels, with imports set to surge to 13 gigawatts (GW) in the first half of 2024.

With grid electricity costs skyrocketing, consumers, industries, and businesses are turning to solar power as a more cost-effective and reliable solution. This shift is reshaping the country’s energy landscape.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani government plans to partner with Chinese companies to produce solar panels in Pakistan, a major milestone in Pakistan’s efforts to produce green energy and increase its footprint in a climate-smart global world. The plan will also help Pakistan cut its annual import bill of $27 billion.

The Alternate Energy Development Board has finalized a 10 years policy on the solar panels and allied equipment manufacturing policy. With the help of China, solar panel’s manufacturing will contribute government effort to install about 9.7GW of renewable energy power generation systems throughout Pakistan by around 2030.

PM Shahbaz Shairf has also constituted a task force on solar energy initiatives in 2024, with a vision to promote sustainable and green energy. The government is working on a comprehensive solar energy package comprising tax waivers and concessionary loans for consumers in a bid to overcome the prolonged power outages.

This article originally appeared on Gwadar Pro.