Comment by Riaz Haq on July 1, 2026 at 10:48am

New Record Lows for Battery Prices

https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-transport/new-record-lows-for...

Lithium-ion battery prices dropped again in 2025, with average prices coming down 8% to $108 per kilowatt-hour, according to BloombergNEF’s annual price survey.

China still leads

China’s lead in low battery prices continued in 2025, with average prices in the country dropping 13% to $84/kWh. This is due to a combination of lower input costs, overcapacity, intense price competition and preference for lower-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells.

Prices in North America and Europe were 44% and 56% higher, which is a big part of why EVs in those regions still cost more than their combustion counterparts. In China, price parity has already been achieved in almost all vehicle segments.

This year, the lowest observed cell and pack prices were just $36/kWh and $50/kWh, respectively. These were for LFP batteries going into stationary storage applications. Similar lows were observed last year, which indicates these price levels are no longer extreme outliers.

BNEF has been doing this price survey for 15 years now, and each year when the top-line number lands, there’s a steady stream of commentary attributing the drop to producers slashing margins. Margins did dip slightly in the first half of this year, but that alone doesn’t fully account for the drop. There’s real innovation and efficiency improvements going on, too, and prices are now down 93% since 2010 in real terms.

Material price rise

Perhaps the most intriguing storyline from the 2025 survey is what didn’t happen.

Cobalt prices rose sharply this year after the Democratic Republic of the Congo introduced export quotas, and lithium ticked up, too. But battery prices didn’t rise. The industry absorbed these shocks through greater LFP adoption, long-term contracts and broader hedging strategies.

This is a markedly different picture from just a few years ago, when higher reliance on nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cathodes meant a spike in metal prices led directly to batteries bucking their long-term downward trend.

It’s probably too early to celebrate — if elevated metal prices persist, the effect will eventually show up in battery figures — but even this level of resilience to underlying material price changes shows how far the battery industry has come.

The diversification trend is set to continue in the years ahead as sodium-ion battery production capacity is starting to come online, and other new cathode and anode chemistries are approaching commercialization.

Stationary storage costs are plummeting

The average pack price for stationary storage systems dropped to $70/kWh, 45% lower than in 2024. This is the sharpest drop across all segments and makes stationary storage the lowest-priced segment for the first time.

This was largely driven by intense competition in China, where there’s immense overcapacity for battery cells specifically aimed at stationary storage applications. China’s production for stationary storage cells in 2025 is estimated at 557 GWh, over double global installations in the sector.

Comment by Riaz Haq yesterday

Pakistan's Solar Boom Is Rewriting the Global South's Economic Development

https://youtu.be/EKJqOh2hqmA?is=nkcpeipDe4CJKrO0

In just two years, the country installed an astonishing 27 GW of distributed solar—roughly equivalent to the capacity of every coal, gas and oil power plant ever built in Pakistan. The result isn't simply more renewable energy. It's the rapid electrification of homes, farms, businesses and industry, powered by some of the cheapest solar panels ever manufactured.

Ember's Dave Jones explains why Pakistan's experience could become the blueprint for dozens of developing countries. We discuss cheap Chinese solar, electrification, batteries, economic development, LNG demand, EVs and why distributed energy may allow the Global South to leapfrog the fossil-fuel model that powered the industrial revolution.

If Pakistan is the first large-scale proof that distributed solar can transform an economy, the implications reach far beyond South Asia.

I think this framing better reflects the interview's central argument: this isn't primarily a climate story—it's an economic development story driven by disruptive technology. That theme comes through repeatedly in the discussion.

Comment by Riaz Haq 17 hours ago

World Bank Boosts Pakistan's Grid for Reliable Clean Energy

https://www.miragenews.com/world-bank-boosts-pakistans-grid-for-rel...

WASHINGTON, July 09, 2026 - The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors today approved US$375.9 million in financing for Pakistan's Grid Stability Enhancement Project, to strengthen its national power transmission network under the Boosting Energy Security through Transmission in Pakistan (BEST-PAK) Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA). The Project is the first phase of a 10-year program to help Pakistan modernize its electricity transmission network, reduce power outages, and bring more clean energy to homes, businesses, and industries.

"Pakistan's energy challenges are deeply interconnected with its broader economic stability," said Bolormaa Amgaabazar, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. "By investing in advanced technologies for more resilient transmission infrastructure, this project will contribute to reducing electricity costs, bring more renewable energy onto the grid, and lay the groundwork for a power sector that works better for households, businesses and industries, as well as overall Pakistan's economy."

Pakistan's electricity network has long struggled with grid instability and transmission bottlenecks that limit the delivery of reliable power and leave clean energy generation underutilized. These constraints affect millions of Pakistanis every day through frequent outages, higher electricity costs, and lost economic opportunities.

The project will install advanced equipment to stabilize the transmission grid and improve the flow of electricity at key substations. This includes Static Synchronous Compensators, or STATCOMs, - at three major 500 kV substations, as well as fixed reactors and capacitor banks across 26 grid substations. These upgrades will help bring 640 MW of currently curtailed wind energy onto the grid, enabling the full use of 1,840 MW of wind capacity in southern Pakistan by moving power to major demand centers. They will also support the integration of approximately 491 MW of planned private sector-led renewable energy projects. Together, these improvements will help Pakistan move toward its national commitment of achieving 60 percent renewable energy in its electricity mix by 2030, in line with the country's Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement. Over its lifetime, the project is expected to avoid approximately 832,500 tons of CO₂ emissions each year, or more than 20.8 million tons cumulatively over 25 years.

"A reliable and modern transmission grid is essential for Pakistan's energy future," said Waleed Saleh Alsuraih, Lead Energy Specialist for the World Bank's BEST‑PAK program in Pakistan. "As the first phase of the BEST-PAK program, it unlocks a pathway to large-scale clean energy deployment, stronger energy security, and a modern, commercially oriented transmission sector through targeted infrastructure investments and institutional reforms, creating the conditions for future private capital participation."

The project also advances the Government's ongoing transmission-sector reform agenda, centered on the restructuring of National Transmission & Dispatch Company (NTDC) into specialized successor entities. Drawing on relevant international experience adapted to Pakistan's needs, it supports faster implementation of reforms designed to strengthen governance, accountability, operational performance, and the long-term sustainability of the power sector.

Pakistan is among the countries most exposed to climate-related risks, including river and urban flooding and extreme heat events. The project's design accounts for these realities, by requiring all new installations to meet climate-resilient specifications, including elevated platforms above ground to mitigate flood exposure and equipment designed to operate in temperatures of up to 55°C. These measures will help ensure reliable performance during monsoon seasons and heatwaves.

Comment by Riaz Haq 3 hours ago

Pakistan's Solar Boom Is Rewriting the Global South's Economic Development

https://youtu.be/EKJqOh2hqmA?is=nkcpeipDe4CJKrO0

Pakistan has quietly become one of the world's most important energy stories.

In just two years, the country installed an astonishing 27 GW of distributed solar—roughly equivalent to the capacity of every coal, gas and oil power plant ever built in Pakistan. The result isn't simply more renewable energy. It's the rapid electrification of homes, farms, businesses and industry, powered by some of the cheapest solar panels ever manufactured.

Ember's Dave Jones explains why Pakistan's experience could become the blueprint for dozens of developing countries. We discuss cheap Chinese solar, electrification, batteries, economic development, LNG demand, EVs and why distributed energy may allow the Global South to leapfrog the fossil-fuel model that powered the industrial revolution.

If Pakistan is the first large-scale proof that distributed solar can transform an economy, the implications reach far beyond South Asia.

I think this framing better reflects the interview's central argument: this isn't primarily a climate story—it's an economic development story driven by disruptive technology. That theme comes through repeatedly in the discussion.

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Refrigerator Sales Surge in Pakistan

Pakistan's refrigerator market accounts for ~56% of the country's major household appliances sector. Market penetration sits around 51-56%, with unit sales expected to surge 20% to 339,000 units in CY26. Industry leaders include Haier, Dawlance, Pak Elektron Limited (PAEL), and Waves.

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EV Sales Surge in Pakistan

Electric vehicle adoption in Pakistan is exploding in the two-wheeler sector due to soaring fuel costs and the new Pakistan Accelerated Vehicle Electrification (PAVE) program. Electric-bike registrations surged by 322% year-on-year with cumulative sales reaching 125,511 units by May, capturing over 10% of the monthly two-wheeler market.

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Air conditioner (AC) Sales Surge in Pakistan

Pakistan's air conditioning sector represents a massive market estimated at Rs 190 billion annually. However, in June 2026, the industry experienced a supply glut as delayed summer rains and later heatwaves caused consumer demand to lag behind aggressive manufacturer production targets.

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