Title: Solar Boom, Fraud, and Storm Tragedy

Author Name: Ariba Siddique

EMPOWERGEN, RESEARCH TEAM

NED University of Engineering and Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering.

Keywords [Nightmare, Punjab free solar scheme, fraud happen in Lahore , over trust in business relation, pressure of high demand, weak monitoring , lesson , recovery ,harsh reality, strom,Empower GEN role ]

As load shedding pushed families toward solar solutions, scammers

found a new market :hope!!!

Solar energy in Pakistan has been booming.

Everywhere you look, rooftops are shining with solar panels. People are tired of heavy electricity bills, long

hours of load shedding, and rising fuel costs (generator).

Solar feels like freedom, freedom from power cuts, freedom from crazy bills, and freedom from

uncertainty.

                                       [this picture is taken from dawn article.]

In this blog we are going to talk about problems that happen in Pakistan .In cities like Lahore, Punjab, the solar business has grown faster than anyone expected. Dealers, suppliers,importer, everyone wanted a piece of the solar pie. It looked like a golden opportunity. But in early 2026, that golden opportunity turned into a nightmare.Before we talk, it’s important to understand the background.

Over the last few years, electricity prices in Pakistan increases . For middle-class families and small businesses, paying electricity bills became a burden. Solar panels became more affordable, and many companies started offering installation services Local traders would pay advance money to suppliers to secure stock. Because demand was high, business was moving quickly. And when business moves fast, sometimes

people forget to slow down and verify things carefully.

Punjab became the center of solar expansion. Major developments include:

Free solar scheme (CM opens free solar panel scheme )

The Government of Punjab announced a free solar panel scheme targeting low-consumption

households. Their aim was to:

• Reduce electricity bills for poor families

• Lower grid burden

• Promote renewable energy adoption

This was one of the largest provincial solar welfare initiatives in Pakistan’s history.

Solarization in public

Punjab also launched a solarization program for public schools, colleges, and government buildings, including institutions in Lahore.

The purpose was to reduce government electricity expenditure and promote clean energy in public infrastructure.

Delay in agriculture solar support

Farmers applying for solar tube well subsidies faced delays in implementation. This created dissatisfaction

in rural areas and highlighted gaps between policy announcement and execution.

Now we are going to talk about what happen in Lahore last year .

The incident took place in the famous electronics market of hall road. If you know Lahore, you know Hall Road as well. It’s one of the famous markets for electronics, solar equipment, computer parts, and related items.

Now we talk how the scammers work : The fraud reportedly involved a solar trading company that collected huge advance payments from multiple traders. Here’s how it generally worked: Traders placed orders for solar panels and equipment. They paid large advance payments, sometimes in crores of rupees. The company promised delivery within a certain time. Deliveries were delayed with excuses.Suddenly, the shop was closed.

The owners disappeared. No goods. No refunds. No answers.

WHO SUFFERED IN THIS FRAUD ??

The people who suffered were not gain corporations. They were traders. Business owners.

Middle-class entrepreneurs .It was a Business savings, Loans taken from banks, Money borrowed from relatives ,Rotating business funds. When such a huge amount disappears, it doesn’t just affect one person. It affects families, employees, and other connected businesses. This is how one fraud creates a ripple effect across an entire market.

Now comes the big question? How could something like this happen in such a well-known market?

Over-Trust in Business Relationships

Pressure on high demand. Demand is high. Stock runs out quickly. Prices change rapidly. Traders often rush to secure inventory before prices increase. That urgency can reduce careful verification When you’re afraid of losing a deal, you sometimes skip background checks.

Weak Regulatory Monitoring

Now lets move on toward storm incident in Pakistan

In Punjab, Pakistan’s most crowded province, storm didn’t just hit streets. It exposed the structures above

them.

The worst part?

Over 70 % of the deaths weren’t caused by the storm They were caused by poorly installed solar panels.

In Pakistan, we make fun of everything. Instead of learning from storms, instead of thinking about safe installations

Only in Pakistan: someone sleeps on a solar panel, another sits in water on it. We can laugh at the creativity,

but we cannot laugh at the consequences.This is why we built EmpowerGen.

Role of Empower GEN

In Lahore where traders were defrauded by a solar supplier and lost huge advance payments, organizations like Empower Gen aim to bridge the information gap that often allows such frauds to succeed by teaching people how to check credentials, verify installers, understand net- metering procedures, and avoid unreliable vendors.

Their work highlights the importance of awareness and verification in a fast-moving market to reduce the risk of scams and unsafe installations that can hurt both consumers and the wider industry. EMPOWER GEN give you awareness of professional installation guidelines ; for guidelines you can check this video on Empower GEN official youtube channel .

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXaXUj2F2BY]

Solar energy is freedom but without safety and verification, it becomes risk for that reasonEmpower GEN is working to make Pakistan solar future safer, smarter, and more secure.

In conclusion we said that Punjab’s rapid solar expansion from the Government’s free solar scheme and public-sector solarization programs to private market growth created massive demand and fast-moving business, especially in Lahore’s Hall Road market.

That same high demand, weak verification, and over-trust allowed large advance payment frauds to happen, where traders lost crores after a solar company suddenly disappeared.

At the same time, gaps in regulation and delayed agricultural solar support showed that policy announcements were moving faster than proper monitoring and safety enforcement. According to provincial disaster reports and emergency service data, over 70%of reported fatalities during certain severe windstorms in Punjab were linked to structural collapses and falling installations,

including improperly mounted solar panels and rooftop equipment.

Then when severe storms hit Punjab, poorly installed solar panels turned into deadly hazards , proving that unchecked expansion, weak oversight, fraud, and unsafe installations are all connected parts of the same solar crisis.