PESHAWAR, Jul 26 (APP):As the summer sun blazes down on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the very same sunlight is becoming a savior for hundreds of small business owners especially bread makers like Barakat Ali.
At 42, Barakat has been running his tandoor (traditional bread oven) in the bustling bazzar of historic Qissa Khwani Peshawar for nearly two decades.
But in recent years, his business has been battered by relentless power outages and the soaring cost of firewood.
“There were days we had no electricity for up to 10 to 12 hours,” he says, wiping sweat from his brow while pulling steaming flatbreads from the tandoor. “My customers would wait, complain, and sometimes leave. I was losing hope.”
But Barakat, like a growing number of small entrepreneurs in the region, decided to fight back with solar energy.
Last year, he took out a loan from his relative and installed a 4-kilowatt solar panel system on his tandoor shop’s rooftop. The transformation, he said, was immediate and productive.
“My electricity bills dropped from Rs. 20,000 a month to almost nothing. More importantly, I could keep the oven running all day, even during power cuts.”
He is not alone. Across Peshawar and Nowshera’s peripheral areas, local bread makers, shopkeepers, and even household consumers are turning to the solar energy to escape the tightening grip of load shedding. Some do it out of desperation, others see it as a smart investment. Either way, the shift is palpable and personal.
With three laborers now working under him and business booming, Barakat is planning to open a second solar-powered tandoor in Faqirabad Peshawar.
“People come from nearby streets just to get bread from my shop because I can deliver large orders even during weddings and celebrations,” he says proudly.
This local solar revolution is part of a much larger wave sweeping Pakistan. According to the Global Electricity Review 2025, Pakistan imported a staggering 17 gigawatts of solar panels in 2024 making it the largest solar panel importer in the world. That’s double the volume from just a year earlier.
The reasons are as diverse as they are urgent as rising electricity tariffs, crippling power shortages, high fuel prices, and an emerging environmental threats attributed people shift to solar energy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Professor Dr. Muhammad Naeem, an economist at the University of Swabi, called it “an energy awakening.” He said the affordability and accessibility of solar energy, coupled with rising energy demands, have made it one of the most viable tools for economic resilience.
“Solar supports small businesses, creates jobs, and reduces our dependency on costly fuel imports,” Dr. Naeem explained.
The shift is not just grassroots rather it’s institutional fully promoted by Federal and KP Govts. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is currently spearheading two mega solar projects worth Rs. 55 billion. These include solarizing 13,000 public buildings and distributing solar units to 130,000 low-income households half of them free of cost.
“This isn’t just an energy program—it’s an empowerment initiative,” says Engr. Tariq Sadozai, Adviser to the Chief Minister on Energy.
Hospitals, schools, and police stations are among the public buildings slated for solarization, which will reduce long-term costs and improve reliability of essential services.
But while the sun shines bright, the road ahead is not without shadows, Dr Naeem said, adding the national grid was not built for decentralized solar systems and sold mechanism required to purchase extra solar power from producers.
Dr Naeem said legacy contracts with Independent Power Producers (IPPs), which guarantee fixed payments even if electricity isn’t used, are creating bottlenecks. Experts warned that if not restructured, these contracts could worsen the circular debt crisis and offset the benefits of solar.
“We need smart grid upgrades, better forecasting, and most of all, political will,” says Dr. Naeem. He also pointed out the urgent need for skilled manpower. “We need certified technicians, quality vendors, and training institutes to build a reliable solar ecosystem imperative for promotion of SMEs.”
Still, momentum towards solar energy is growing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Banks are now offering tailored solar loans for households and businesses while Bank of Khyber has already partnered with the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) to facilitate solar installations across KP. Lower interest rates are making these loans increasingly accessible.
Zahid Shinwari, former president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce, said that the solar boom is creating a new job market in Pakistan due to Federal Government prudent policies.
“From installation to maintenance to panel manufacturing, the solar economy is growing fast especially in rural areas of Pakistan,” he reiterated.
Experts estimated solar energy could contribute up to 10 percent of Pakistan’s energy mix by 2030, with installed capacity expected to rise from 1.41 GW in 2024 to over 9.5 GW by 2029.
Back in Qissa Khwani bazaar, Barakat Ali looks at the solar panels on his shop with quiet satisfaction. “People used to say it is expensive, it is risky. But now even they are coming to me asking where I bought mine,” he laughs.
For this humble tandoorwala, solar power is more than a business decision rather it is about reclaiming agency over his life, his livelihood, and his future.
“The sun does not charge us a rupee,” he smiles. “And now, I do not have to wait for the light—I make my own.”
