“The off-grid solar revolution” and “the surplus-grid capacity crisis” constitute a ticking time bomb for Pakistan’s power sector. Pakistan is witnessing a silent but powerful transformation in its energy consumption patterns.

In an environment plagued by high electricity tariffs, inconsistent power supply, and policy unpredictability, both industrial and agricultural sectors are increasingly turning to solar power solutions - discreetly or overtly.

This off-grid shift, while rational for individual consumers, is rapidly morphing into a systemic crisis for Pakistan’s already fragile power sector, particularly the national grid – which now finds itself caught in a spiral of under-utilization, rising capacity payments, and financial instability.

Driven by prohibitively high electricity prices (now exceeding Rs. 60/unit in many regions), heavy fuel cost adjustments, unreliable power delivery, and the government’s inability to offer competitive industrial rates, Pakistan’s manufacturers and large-scale farmers have found an obvious solution: solarized operations. Otherwise, the choice to go solar – once seen as a solution – may inadvertently accelerate the collapse of a system still vital to national stability and economic growth.

In agriculture, solar-powered tube wells are now replacing conventional grid-connected pumping systems. In cities like Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, and Karachi, textile and........

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