Archive · 9 Nov 2025
Pakistan Leads Neighbors in Rooftop Solar Power Adoption
Imagine your home having its own little power plant on the roof!
That's what rooftop solar power is.
Pakistan is doing this much faster than its neighbors.
Electricity from the regular power company got much more expensive in Pakistan, while the cost of solar panels went down a lot.
So, people and farmers started putting solar panels on their roofs to save money.
This has made solar power a big part of Pakistan's electricity.
Other countries like India and Sri Lanka are also using more solar power, but not as much as Pakistan.
Bangladesh isn't using much solar power because it's hard to get loans and the parts are expensive to bring into the country.
Sometimes, even in countries with lots of solar, it's not available everywhere or for everyone, and some poor people end up paying more.
Pakistan leads South Asian nations in rooftop solar power adoption, now accounting for a quarter of its electricity supply.
Falling solar panel prices (nearly 50% drop) and rising electricity costs (155% jump in three years) in Pakistan drove market-based adoption.
India's solar expansion is government-driven with significant subsidies, while Sri Lanka has also seen substantial growth.
Bangladesh lags significantly due to lack of affordable financing and high import duties on solar components.
Uneven access to rooftop solar exists, with wealthier consumers in Pakistan switching, leading to increased costs for poorer, grid-dependent consumers.
- Who
- Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, World Resources Institute, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, REN21, The Energy and Resources Institute, Renewables First
- What
- Rapid expansion of rooftop solar power generation
- When
- Last two years (general expansion), specific data points vary by country and source (e.g., May 2025 for India, End 2024 for Sri Lanka)
- Where
- South Asia, with specific focus on Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh
- Why
- To cut reliance on polluting and often-imported fossil fuels, driven by falling solar panel prices and rising conventional electricity prices in some regions, and government incentives in others.
- Pakistan's Electricity Price Increase
- 155% in three years
- Pakistan's Solar Panel Price Decrease
- Nearly 50%
- Pakistan's Rooftop Solar Share
- One quarter of the country's electricity supply
- India's Rooftop Solar Capacity (May 2025)
- 18 GW (3.9% of total capacity)
- Sri Lanka's Rooftop Solar Capacity (End 2024)
- 1,347 MW (23% of nation's energy capacity)
- Bangladesh's Rooftop Solar Capacity
- 245 MW (Below 1% of energy supply)
- India's Solar Subsidy Program (Launched Feb 2024)
- Rs 75 billion ($9 billion) for 30 GW capacity