ISLAMABAD: Pakistan can lead the way as an inspiration, as global energy leaders aim to execute a plan to solarise at least 300 million homes by the end of 2030 to boost the clean energy transition and reduce carbon emissions in the power sector despite immense challenges.

Speaking at the Solar, Storage, and Flexibility Conference, Global Solar Council CEO Sonia Dunlop said that the Pakistani solar rush can be used as a leadership example at the global level.

She said the plan for the solarisation of 300 million homes should be seen as a way of making sure to bring energy access to at least “600m people around the world who did not have any access to electricity at all, and the many billions more who did not have any access to any reliable electricity”. She said the initiative also aimed to make tangible the goals of the Paris Agreement and the tripling of renewable capacity that was agreed in Dubai in 2023.

Speaking on the lessons of the rapid clean energy transition, Pakistan Solar Association Chairman Waqas Moosa noted that while arguments for renewable energy once felt abstract to policymakers, the recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz provided tangible proof of its urgency.

Solarisation of 300 million homes by 2030 to add 2.5 terawatts of new capacity, nearly matching today’s global solar base

He highlighted that the federal government now recognised how rooftop solar adoption granted the country a degree of energy independence, reducing its overreliance on fuel imports. Pakistan had avoided more than $12 billion in oil and gas import costs since 2018 due to its massive surge in rooftop solar adoption.

Over the last few years, Pakistani consumers have installed 38 gigawatts of solar power to offset high power tariffs and decrease dependence on “unreliable” grid electricity.

Emphasising the importance of cross-country and cross-industry idea sharing for global climate and energy solutions, Mr Moosa expressed hope that Pakistan’s experience with its solar rush would serve as a learning opportunity for other developing nations navigating similar transitions.

According to the Global Solar Council, equipping 300 million houses with solar could add 2.5 terawatts of new capacity by 2030, nearly matching today’s entire global solar base. “Pakistan is already the campaign’s most compelling proof of concept.”

Heidi Lee Douglas, who leads the Solar Citizens organisation in Australia, said Pakistan could learn from Australian prosumers, who have effectively advocated for pro-renewable policies.

Australia currently leads the global clean energy transition with the world’s highest rooftop solar per capita and the highest battery uptake, driven largely by civil society’s advocacy for solar, she said.

Ms Douglas said the 300

million solarised homes initiative aimed to “build a rooftop solar alliance” with civil society groups based in Pakistan, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brazil to promote clean energy, adding that countries could learn from each other to replicate successful community-led energy models.

According to Ms Dunlop, the 300m homes initiative aimed to bring rooftop energy to every household by breaking down regulatory and financial barriers. “Whether in owned homes, rented units, or temporary shelters, the initiative ensures everyone has the right to go solar,” she added.

During the conference, energy experts and policymakers proposed a host of measures to address problems faced by renewables. They called for a national industrial policy and strategic reforms in special economic zones.

They also said Pakistan needed to reposition its engagement with multilateral banks from financing individual generation projects to supporting an integrated energy system focused on battery storage, grid modernisation, digitalisation, and system flexibility.

A session, attended by PPP leader Nadeem Afzal Chan, called for “politicising renewable energy” to build momentum by mobilising communities at the grassroots level and strengthening the internal structures of political parties to advocate for renewable energy transitions.

Nadeem Afzal Chan said the government believed in “anti-solar policies” that excluded communities. Sharing his personal experience, he said solar benefited him the most for agriculture.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2026