ISLAMABAD – Pakistani invested massively in solar panel system and consumers are facing a situation as the Pakistani government moved to revamp tariffs.
Reports in local media quoting senior official from the Energy Ministry said the government is likely to cut tariffs for electricity generated from rooftop solar panels, proposing a reduction to between Rs7.5 and Rs11 per unit, down from the current rate of over Rs21 per unit under the net metering system.
Under the proposed changes, the current credit system, where two units of solar electricity are counted as one unit of grid electricity, would be changed. Instead, six solar-generated units would be equivalent to one unit from the grid. This adjustment is intended to help alleviate the growing financial strain from high capacity payments linked to solar energy usage.
The development comes amid concerns raised by International Monetary Fund (IMF), over increasing reliance on solar power and its effect on grid electricity consumption. IMF urged government to encourage higher demand for grid electricity, as the country imported around 15 GW of solar panels worth $2.1 billion from China last fiscal year.
Consumers with solar panels would still pay Rs60 per unit for grid electricity during peak hours, a significant increase from the current Rs42 per unit.
In recent times, consumers lamented delays in processing net metering applications, leading to actions against companies. The government’s proposal aims to strike a balance between supporting solar energy adoption and addressing the financial sustainability of the national electricity grid.
