Sindh Free Solar Scheme 2026: Who Gets a Kit and How
Sindh's free solar kits go to poor families on BISP criteria, with no public form. The numbers by source, kit contents and the complaint line.
Sindh's free solar home systems are real and are being installed, but there is no public application form. We searched the Sindh Solar Energy Project and Sindh Energy Department sites on 22 September 2026 and found no sign-up page. The Energy Department says kits go to poor families using BISP criteria. For a complaint, the project's line is 021-111-737-467.
The scheme runs under the Sindh Solar Energy Project, known as SSEP, which is backed by the World Bank. Its third part, called Component III, supplies solar home systems to households with little or no electricity. We read both official sites on 22 September 2026. Figures that come only from news reports are marked as reported.
How families are chosen for Sindh solar kits
The Sindh Energy Department's site quotes Energy Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah saying the distribution "would follow BISP criteria for transparency and merit-based selection". BISP is the Benazir Income Support Programme, the federal cash scheme for poor families. Reporting from July 2026 says BISP-registered families get priority.
So the practical steps are:
- Check whether your household is registered with BISP.
- If you are not registered, update your household survey at a BISP office. Selection appears to start from that data.
- If you are on an electricity connection, keep your electricity bills. Reporting says on-grid kits go to "protected" consumers using up to 100 units a month.
- Wait for the district team. The kits are handed out at distribution events and installed by suppliers the project has approved.
- If you think you were wrongly left out, or a kit is faulty, use the complaint line below.
Do not pay anyone to "register" you. We found no fee and no form on either official site.
How many kits Sindh is giving, by source
Different statements give different totals. They may refer to different phases, so we list each with its source rather than pick one.
| Figure | What it describes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 162,600 families | First phase | Sindh Energy Department site, quoting the Energy Minister |
| 200,000 families | Total to benefit | Same item, quoting Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon |
| 500,000 more | Next phase | Same item |
| 275,000 families | 132,000 off-grid and 143,000 on-grid | Reported, ProPakistani, 17 July 2026 |
| 11,571 installed | Progress by July 2026 | Reported, same article |
The Energy Department also records that the first distribution in Hyderabad Rural went to 100 families. The July 2026 report puts the project cost at Rs 18.206 billion and a finish date of June 2027. We could not find those two figures on a government page.
What is in a Sindh solar kit
The July 2026 report describes each kit as a 180 watt solar panel, a lithium battery, a fan and LED lights, free of cost. An older item on the Energy Department's site describes a smaller unit that runs three LED bulbs and a 35 watt DC fan, with about six hours of battery backup, at roughly Rs 50,000 each. The kit may have changed between rounds.
Either way, this is a small system. It is meant for lights, a fan and phone charging. It will not run a fridge, an iron or an air conditioner. If you want a system that cuts a full bill, you need a much larger rooftop setup.
Where the Sindh solar programme stands
These are the signs of progress we could read on the official sites:
- The SSEP site records a signing ceremony with solar home system suppliers at the CM House, Karachi, on 3 August 2024, and kit distribution ceremonies in Larkana and Karachi on 29 August 2024.
- Its notifications page lists approved supplier rounds, the latest being Round III, dated 3 February 2023.
- The Energy Department has published a tender to hire a third party firm to check the delivery, installation and operation of solar home systems "for Poor Families (Off-Grid) in Sindh under Special Initiative".
The SSEP site is not a live feed. Its news section still shows stories from 2019 and 2020, and its project box shows two different closing dates, 29 September 2023 and 31 July 2025. So an old date on the site does not mean the programme has ended. Treat district distribution events as the real signal.
How to complain about a Sindh solar kit
The SSEP site has a separate complaint page for solar home systems. It lists:
- Phone: 021-111-737-467, written on the site as 021-111-SEP-GOS.
- Email: SHS_Complaints@ssep.gos.pk.
- A complaint form to download in Urdu, English or Sindhi.
The project office is at Bungalow D-155, Block 5, Clifton, Karachi. Its general numbers are 021-99332107, 021-99332106, 021-99332193 and 021-99332188.
Warning about fake solar registration sites
Search results for this scheme are full of private pages titled "Sindh solar kit registration apply online". None of them is a government site. The real addresses end in gos.pk or gov.pk: ssep.gos.pk for the project and sindhenergy.gov.pk for the Energy Department.
Never give your CNIC, a BISP code or an SMS PIN to a page or caller who promises a kit. Agents already take money from BISP payments. Punjab's free solar panel scheme was different, with an online ballot, and it is now closed.
Common questions
How do I apply for the Sindh free solar scheme?
We found no application form on the official sites. The Energy Department says selection follows BISP criteria, so check your BISP registration first.
Who gets a free solar kit in Sindh?
Poor families picked on BISP criteria. Reporting says off-grid homes in remote areas, and on-grid protected consumers using up to 100 units a month.
Is there a fee for the Sindh solar kit?
No fee appears on either official site. Reporting describes the kits as free of cost.
What is the Sindh solar complaint number?
021-111-737-467, with email SHS_Complaints@ssep.gos.pk, both listed on the SSEP complaint page.
Can the kit run a fridge or an AC?
No. The kits described are for lights, a fan and phone charging.
Who runs the Sindh solar programme?
The Project Management Unit of the Sindh Solar Energy Project, under the Energy Department, Government of Sindh, with World Bank funding.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 22 September 2026. We read ssep.gos.pk, including its Component III, notifications, downloads and solar home system complaint pages, and the news items on sindhenergy.gov.pk. The 275,000 total, the 132,000 and 143,000 split, the kit contents, the 11,571 installed, the Rs 18.206 billion cost and the June 2027 finish date are reported by ProPakistani on 17 July 2026 and were not on a government page we could read. We did not reach the project office by phone.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
