Speaking at the Breathe Pakistan International Climate Conference 2026 in a panel titled “Empowering Pakistan’s Transition to Clean Energy,” experts described the ongoing global energy crunch as a “black swan event” that could accelerate a battery storage revolution in Pakistan.
Participants noted that unlike many countries facing severe energy shortages, Pakistan managed the recent crisis without major fuel disruptions, largely due to declining dependence on imported fossil fuels and a sharp rise in solar adoption.
Energy finance specialist Haneea Isaad said Pakistan’s solar transition gained momentum after the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 and has since significantly reduced consumption of oil, gas, and coal. She said around 50 gigawatts of solar panels were imported between 2021 and 2025, with a substantial portion already installed, helping stabilize supply during recent regional tensions.
LUMS Energy Institute Director Dr Naveed Arshad said the global energy shocks, including the Iran-US conflict, are likely to accelerate investment in energy storage systems. He described Pakistan’s transition as a shift from a centralized grid to a distributed energy model driven by solar, storage, micro-grids, and digitalisation.
He added that the transformation had taken place largely without direct climate financing, calling it an “unprecedented grid evolution.”
Other experts at the session said renewable energy is becoming increasingly affordable, with solar costs declining sharply over the past decade, alongside falling battery prices. They emphasized that storage technology is now the key missing piece in Pakistan’s energy transition.
Kamran Siddiqui from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) highlighted the need for stronger investment in grid infrastructure and clearer policy direction on energy deployment models such as net-metering and behind-the-meter systems.
He also noted a rising import trend of solar batteries, which signals growing demand for storage solutions as households and businesses increasingly reduce reliance on the national grid.
Experts concluded that as solar adoption expands, the traditional utility model will need to adapt, with the grid now required to compete for consumers rather than assume captive demand.
