In Pakistan scheduled power outages directly affects public electric utilities often hit households, outage 10 hours a day in towns and cities and 16 hours in rural areas. The situation got pathetic in hot days of summers when AC’s loads the grid of country.

The outage gap can be bridged by the solar panel is obvious. At the 35-year-old entrepreneur waited two years before finally installing one solar panel for himself. He said he was put off by rumors that solar can only worsen the situation. He was misguided by utility company by the fact that the solar panel absorbs heat and can increase the inside overall temperature of the house or building with solar panels. Solar panels were also blamed for heat shocks in Pakistan. He added that worsening climate change driven by industrial revolution with the use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, they say.

Aslam told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview that all claims were proved wrong when I installed a solar panel at my home on the suggestion of a friend who is an electrical engineer.

” He was not aware of any IESCO employees spreading rumors. I disown them, our company has to do nothing with rumors”, said Tariq Mehmood, general manager the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO).

Solar home system cost Aslam only $500 and powers two solar panels, four ceiling fans, four energy-saving lights and a rechargeable battery –

Aslam’s new solar home system – two solar panels, four ceiling fans, four energy-saving lights and a rechargeable battery – cost him $500.

“When power outages hit our fans stay on because of solar panel”, Aslam said.

“Most customers ask about rumor solar panels add to heat problems while purchasing. To prove them wrong I should show them that solar panel powers my shop too “, said Abdul Karim, a solar panel retailer at the Aabpara electronic market in Islamabad.

Growing shift of solar energy is being hampered by rumors by public power utilities because this will decrease new connection applications said Mir Ahmad Shah, executive secretary of the Pakistan Renewable and Alternative Energy Association

Retired Pakistan Railways Employee Raja Jameel said that he was unsuccessful in getting a grid connection for his new home in Ghouri two year ago in a rural locality on Islamabad’s outskirts. What I was denied for four months was a $50 bribe to a superintendent of IESCO,” Jameel said in his interview.

Jameel said that he will get a 2-kilowatt solar home system instead of begging for a new power connection for the second story of his house that he is making for to be rented.

IESCO’s Mehmood said that although the utility received many complaints from customers for demanding bribe we have taken care of the problem. Online complaint system was set up and make the process transparent for a new connection.

Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali said that I did not deny that power distribution companies have had problems with corruption including IESCO but said the government removed all complaints about such matters seriously with a zero-tolerance policy for bribery. He also added that corrupt employee is demoted or dismissed after the fast complaint system set up.