Nowadays, the sight of solar panels perched on rooftops has become commonplace in Pakistan.
asserted
sight → perch → Pakistan
According to an analysis published by Renewables First and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air earlier this year, Pakistan has gone from importing less than one gigawatt (GW) of solar modules in 2018 to more than 51GW by early 2026.
uncertain
Pakistan → accord → 2026
It estimated that the boom had already spared the country more than $12 billion in oil and gas imports by February.
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boom → estimate → February
For a country long held hostage to load-shedding and rising tariffs, rooftop panels are a manifestation of the age-old adage: necessity is the mother of invention.
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necessity → hold → invention
But it appears that the boom has outrun the system built to absorb it.
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boom → appear → it
In 2026, the power regulator moved from “net metering” to “net-billing”, under which solar prosumers buy power from the grid at standard retail rates but sell excess solar energy back at a much lower rate.
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prosumers → move → rate
The shift has raised demand for batteries as households and businesses look to store the power they generate instead of selling it back to the government.
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they → raise → government
It also shows how the energy of the sun can be harnessed in ways to address the plethora of issues the people of the country are facing.
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people → show → country
At the recently held Solar Pakistan Exhibition in Karachi — which brought together solar technology, solar power solutions, renewable energy innovations and sustainable energy products — innovation was in full display.
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innovation → hold → display
Specifically, it showed how to use solar power to address issues around commuting, cooking and obtaining drinking water.
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it → show → water
With the US-Israeli war on Iran and its effects on global oil prices showing no signs of abating, electric vehicles (EVs) have now started trickling onto the roads in Pakistan.
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vehicles → show → Pakistan
According to a recent Dawn report, around 150,000 electric bikes and scooties were sold across the country in 2025.
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bikes → accord → 2025
The report, however, noted that despite this, EV sales were still not comparable to motorcycle sales: a CD70 costs Rs168,000, while a proper lithium-powered electric bike costs more than Rs300,000.
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bike → note → Rs300,000
At the Solar Pakistan Exhibition held on October 10, Bahum Global PVT, a solar service company, introduced its EV bikes with a unique answer to both the cost and the battery degradation problem: battery-swapping stations.
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PVT → hold → cost
One problem EV owners have complained of is the battery “dying” like that of a phone, which makes many wary of being stranded en route.
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many → complain → route
To cater to this issue, Zafar Khan, the general manager of Bahum, told Dawn that the company is in talks with petrol pump brands like Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Shell and Total to install battery-swapping stations.
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company → cater → stations
The electric bikes themselves will be manufactured in Pakistan, which will hopefully cut the taxation costs as well.
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which → manufacture → costs
This way, instead of leaving the battery on charge overnight or having to abruptly halt a journey due to the battery running out of charge, an EV owner can stop at a nearby petrol pump with a swapping facility and exchange the drained battery for one that is charged one at a fixed cost.
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that → leave → cost
After a successful pilot at the PSO petrol pump in Lahore’s Cantt area, Bahum is set to launch the EVs and battery-swapping stations throughout Pakistan in December 2026.
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Bahum → set → December
Rocket Choolha
It is the story of every household: cooking gas vanishes from the kitchens like a wisp of smoke into the night as soon as the clock strikes nine.
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clock → cook → nine
Many have resorted to using gas cylinders to cook at their own convenience instead of the government’s.
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Many → resort → convenience
This is where Rocket Choolha comes in: a product by Mesol Solar aiming to provide a safe and eco-friendly way to keep the burners on.
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Choolha → come → burners
Based on the concept of a biomass stove, the choolha utilises wood pellets created in-house by recycling wood waste.
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choolha → base → waste
All moisture is extracted from the waste before it is turned into lightweight pellets.
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it → extract → pellets
These pellets serve as the main fuel for the choolha, providing users with a solution costing almost half of what they spend on LPG — which is susceptible to price fluctuations during times of high demand.
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which → serve → demand
All one has to do is top up the steel cylinder inside the choolha with wood pellets, add a few drops of kerosene (it can work if you omit oil as well), and light the pellets on fire.
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you → do → fire
The design comes with an attached regulator to control the intensity of the flame; all you need to do is charge the choolha with your phone charger or a battery pack — which could further reduce costs if it is solar powered.
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it → come → costs
The interior is lined with glass fibre, a heat-resistant material also used in protective gear for firefighters, which, according to Mesol Solar, makes the appliance safe to use at home.
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appliance → line → home
For now, the Rocket choolha is far from a replacement for the gas line that gives out just as one begins to think of stepping into the kitchen.
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one → give → kitchen
But it does something clever: it takes what would have been wood waste swept into a corner and turns it into a means for making dinner.
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what → do → dinner
Nothing is felled for the fire; the wood has simply been given a second shift.
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wood → fell → shift
Extracting water through the air
With a burgeoning population, Pakistan faces growing pressure on its resources, especially clean drinking water.
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Pakistan → extract → resources
But what if that could be addressed by something that is available in abundance, like the air?
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that → address → air
A Nippon Energy product, SkySip is a water-dispenser look-alike entirely powered by solar, making it an end-to-end environmentally friendly product.
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it → power → end
All it requires is a solar panel and an inverter to convert DC power from the solar panels to AC.
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it → require → AC
The unit then uses clean solar power to draw ambient air, which is cooled to condense moisture into water droplets.
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which → use → droplets
The collected water then passes through a series of filters to purify it and make it safe to drink.
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it → collect → it
The range is what keeps SkySip from being a novelty.
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what → keep → SkySip
Although the units haven’t been rolled out in Pakistan yet, the smallest is rated to produce 20 litres a day, enough for a small household or shop.
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smallest → roll → household
The bigger models climb from 50 litres to 1,000 litres a day, which makes the range suitable for everything from homes and offices to restaurants and industries.
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range → climb → restaurants
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
