Solar panel sales jump up amidst hot weather, load shedding in Karachi

Unannounced and hours-long load shedding during the hot weather in Karachi boosted the solar panel market as people were moving towards alternatives to ease the trouble.

Karachi has been witnessing 14-16 hour-long load shedding since the beginning of summer. High mercury and the devastating power supply forced citizens to protest on Monday. 

Protesters staged demonstrations outside the KE’s office, vandalising equipment, but the power supply situation did not turn normal.

Moreover, residents of different areas of Karachi spend the warmest night of summer on Sunday without electricity. 

Despite the continuous protests of people and a call to action from the provincial ministers, the KE was not even paying attention and kept running with its monopolistic strategy.

A resident said that despite spending the hottest day, they have no opportunity to calm down at night due to the unannounced load shedding.

Citizens said they were purchasing solar panels from their savings or taking loans.

On the other hand, shopkeepers cited increased load shedding as the reason for the boom in business, saying that it looks like the whole of Karachi will go for solar systems after a year.

A rough survey of Karachi’s market showed a single-glass solar plate is being sold for Rs35,000 to Rs37,000 minimum.