• By Best Solar Company PK
  • 01 Oct, 2026
  • Solar Policy
  • 8 min read

On 22 September 2026, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), working with the Network for Clean Energy Transition (NCET), launched a national roadmap for **grid-scale battery storage** in Pakistan. For most homeowners the headline sounds like heavy infrastructure policy — but it speaks directly to a question every solar owner is now asking: what will my rooftop solar exports actually be worth in the years ahead?

The short answer is that this roadmap is one of the clearest signals yet that Pakistan intends to fix the grid problem that has been quietly eroding the value of distributed solar. Here is what the plan says, and how it connects to your electricity bill.

What the SDPI–NCET roadmap actually proposes

The study, titled *Optimal Siting of Grid-Scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in Pakistan*, screened the National Grid Company's 500 kV and 220 kV grid stations and used a ranking-based method to shortlist four priority locations: **Shikarpur, Faisalabad, Dadu and Rawat**.

Its four objectives are tightly focused:

  • Build a data-driven framework for siting batteries where the grid hurts most
  • Mitigate transmission congestion and renewable **curtailment**
  • Align storage investment with CPEC 2.0 financing
  • Deliver a policy and regulatory roadmap, including mandating BESS modelling inside the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP)

The study also quantifies what the grid is losing today, citing Energy Not Served (ENS) — demand the system simply fails to meet — as a measurable drain the country is already paying for through load-shedding and inefficient dispatch.

When the grid cannot absorb cheap daytime solar, that clean energy is thrown away as curtailment — and the shortfall at night shows up as Energy Not Served. Batteries are the bridge between the two.

Why curtailment and "Energy Not Served" matter to you

Pakistan now has so much solar feeding the system during midday that the grid faces a growing "duck curve": a flood of cheap power at noon and a steep ramp at sunset. The Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO) has repeatedly flagged that excess midday generation gets **curtailed** — switched off — because there is nowhere to put it.

Curtailment is the hidden enemy of every rooftop exporter. If the distribution company cannot use your 1:00 pm export, your electricity has near-zero value to the grid at that moment. That is exactly the logic regulators used to justify cutting export rates.

Energy storage breaks this trap. A battery parked at a congested grid station soaks up surplus solar at noon and releases it at 7:00 pm, converting "worthless" midday power into valuable evening supply. More storage means less curtailment, which strengthens the economic case for paying exporters a fair rate again.

The link to net billing and your export rate

This roadmap lands in the middle of a painful transition for solar owners. In February 2026 NEPRA notified the Prosumer Regulations 2026, replacing one-for-one net metering with a **net billing** model.

| Factor | Old net metering | New net billing (2026) | |---|---|---| | Export credit | ~Rs 25.32/unit (1:1 offset) | ~Rs 10–11/unit buyback | | Import price | Netted against exports | Full tariff (~Rs 40–60/unit) | | Agreement term | 7 years | 5 years | | Existing users | Protected at ~Rs 25.32/unit | Grandfathered |

The gap between what you pay to import (full tariff) and what you earn to export (roughly Rs 11) is now wide. Regulators argued the old Rs 25+ rate was unsustainable precisely because the grid could not use all that midday power — the curtailment problem again. For a deeper breakdown, see our guide on net billing vs net metering in Pakistan.

Here is the strategic insight for 2026: **storage is the mechanism that could stop export rates from falling further — and eventually push them back up.** Once grid-scale batteries can store daytime solar, exported units regain real market value, weakening the justification for rock-bottom buyback rates.

What this signals for the future value of your solar exports

For Pakistani homeowners and businesses weighing a solar investment, the roadmap points to three practical shifts.

1. **Exports will be rewarded for *when*, not just *how much*.** As storage and time-of-use pricing mature, evening export (or self-consumption that avoids expensive evening import) will carry far more value than midday dumping. 2. **Behind-the-meter batteries move from luxury to logic.** With import tariffs near Rs 40–60/unit and buyback near Rs 11, every unit you store and use yourself at night is worth 4–5× more than one you export. The government has already made battery storage mandatory for new utility solar and wind projects (July 2026) under the Next Generation Energy Storage Policy 2026–31 — a strong signal of the direction of travel. 3. **Grid reliability improves the whole case.** Cutting Energy Not Served means fewer outages and a healthier distribution company that can actually honour export payments.

In our own project experience across Punjab and Sindh, clients who added even a modest 5–10 kWh lithium battery in 2026 shifted from chasing export credits to maximising self-consumption — and saw faster payback despite the lower buyback rate. That is the hedge this roadmap rewards. If you are sizing a system now, read our solar battery sizing guide for Pakistani homes.

A practical checklist for 2026 solar buyers

  • Size your system for self-consumption first, exports second
  • Budget for storage-ready inverters even if you add batteries later
  • Lock in favourable terms early, as net billing agreements now run only 5 years
  • Track ISMO and NEPRA notifications — storage-linked time-of-use tariffs are coming
  • Choose an installer who models evening load, not just panel count

Frequently Asked Questions

**What is grid-scale battery storage and how is it different from a home battery?** Grid-scale battery storage (BESS) refers to large utility-owned systems installed at substations to balance the national grid. A home battery stores your own rooftop solar for personal use. Both do the same job — shifting cheap solar to expensive hours — but at very different scales.

**Will the SDPI roadmap increase my solar export (buyback) rate?** Not immediately. The roadmap is a policy study, not a tariff order. But by reducing solar curtailment, it removes the main argument for keeping buyback rates low — making a future recovery in export value more likely than another cut.

**Does this mean net metering is coming back in Pakistan?** No. NEPRA's Prosumer Regulations 2026 firmly established net billing. Storage is meant to make net billing fairer over time, not reverse it. Existing net-metering users remain protected at their older rate.

**Should I still install rooftop solar in 2026?** Yes — the economics remain strong because import tariffs are high. The key change is strategy: prioritise self-consumption and consider a battery, rather than relying on export credits that now pay only about Rs 11 per unit.

The bottom line

The SDPI–NCET **grid-scale battery storage** roadmap is not just an engineering plan — it is a signal about where the value of rooftop solar is heading. By attacking curtailment and Energy Not Served, Pakistan is building the infrastructure that makes your exported sunshine worth something again. The smartest move in 2026 is to go solar with storage in mind. Talk to our team at Best Solar Company PK for a self-consumption-first system design built for the net-billing era.

Sources: Profit by Pakistan Today, Dawn, Profit — NEPRA net billing

Best Solar Company PK designs and installs reliable solar systems in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Taunsa Sharif and Karachi. Contact us for a free survey and the best advice for your home or business.