Daniyal Siddiqui

Early life and background

Siddiqui was born into a family where education and moral values came first. His family was focused on education and study, and it included doctors and engineers. He was not born into an industrialist family. His father told him that creating employment mattered more. He has said money was never taught to him in his background. [2]

Early career and return to Pakistan

Siddiqui held a job in the UK while he was studying. He has worked in the UK, America and Europe. He was in Scotland when he first had the idea of returning to Pakistan. He always wanted to return to Pakistan and build something there. He has said he and people with a similar passion decided together to return to Pakistan about 11 or 12 years ago. [2]

DS Group of Companies

DSG was founded in 2018. Siddiqui has said he is the current CEO of DSG. He says DSG began with about 616 kilowatts and now has over 660 megawatts. He says it grew from two or three people to over 500 people, and that the list of people who have worked for DSG has crossed 1,200. [2]

He says DSG has offices in seven cities and fully owns all of them, and that it plans to grow from seven offices to 12 by the end of the year. He says DSG targets 1,000 megawatts of projects in Pakistan by the end of the year and expects to reach 1,000 employees in the coming year. He says DSG signed contracts for over 25 megawatts in the previous two weeks. He says DSG currently stands as the number one company by far, and that many companies closed at one time but DSG did not because it had a long vision. [2]

Siddiqui says purpose before profit is the guiding idea behind DSG, and that the company was made on that principle. He says his idea was to create employment, not to trade solar panels, and that DSG's vision was never trading. He says the EPC, installation and O&M route was the tougher way to create jobs. [2][3]

He says he personally leads the operations and maintenance department. He says DSG's operations and maintenance teams are spread across Pakistan, and that DSG holds maintenance contracts as well as installation work. [2]

He says DSG is digitalising its operations. He says it gives people energy monitoring systems so they can monitor remotely, and that it launched the first solar monitoring control room in Pakistan. [2]

Projects and clients

Siddiqui has said his company builds industrial power plants and works primarily with industrial clients. He has said it has worked with textile firms, food manufacturers and rice mills. He has said it converted one of Pakistan's top packaging manufacturers to renewable energy and is doing a mega project for an industrial food client. He has said it is doing projects for Nishat and others. [1][3]

He has said his company is deploying over 50 megawatts at industrial sites using 750-watt panels. He has said it is currently installing almost 21 megawatts of capacity and recently finished 4.5 megawatts of installation. He has said it recently completed a battery solution for a textile unit in Multan, and has already done four-hour solar systems at 25 industries. He has said it is replacing diesel gensets at some sites. [1][3]

He has said his company has a lot of projects in Karachi and builds many solar power plants in South Punjab. He has said it has more than 1400-1500 residential systems running, and that it represents Huawei. He has said it installed a smart box with the inverter outside a customer's house to read the customer's data patterns every five minutes. He has said many of its Lahore customers have changed their EV charging patterns. [1][3]

He has said his team installed the first net meter in Multan. He has said he worked as a consultant for Model Town Lahore on reforming its electrical infrastructure. He has said he runs an ESCO company and took land in Muzaffargarh to set up a solar installation, and that his company is working on industrial microgrids. He has said his whole work is with China, focused on how Chinese industries operate. He has said his company works with many banks and is both a customer and a vendor of K-Electric. [1]

Siddiqui has seen the solar market go through a start, a mid-crisis, a take-off and the COVID years. He has said he has been out in the field working with teams on projects. He says he meets industry heads regularly to discuss their energy problems. [1][2][3]

Views on financing

Siddiqui says financing that arrived around 2017 gave the solar industry its biggest push. He calls the financing schemes available now the game changer for renewables. He says the main issue with renewables is their high upfront cost, though running costs are low. He says a State Bank financing scheme operates on 2 plus 4 percent terms, and has described a State Bank scheme as 2% funding plus a 4% bank margin, a flat 6% with no KIBOR. He says the State Bank financing scheme has helped people who cannot pay upfront. [1][2][3]

He says his company offers a State Bank financing scheme to its customers, and that about 80 percent of the company's projects are financed through it. He has suggested banks announce financing products for solar and batteries for end customers. He has said Chinese companies are ready with financing to come in and set up projects in Pakistan. [1][3]

Views on solar economics

Siddiqui has said solar makes the best return on investment right now, and that solar energy is the one price that has fallen while inflation rose. He has said his company bought solar panels at 35 cents a watt, and the price now stands at 12 cents a watt. He has said Chinese suppliers pushed large volumes of solar panels into Pakistan at good prices, and that European buyers pay 16-17 cents for panels sold in Pakistan at 12 cents. [1]

He has said industrial owners cannot survive without a solar power plant running. He has said setting up a 1-megawatt solar plant in Pakistan costs about 75 million rupees, and that a solar unit costs about 6.5 rupees including financing. He has said the payback period of the plant is realistically about two to two and a half years, and that the payback period for solar is currently under 4 years. He has said residential solar pays back in about four to four and a half years. [1][3]

He calls solar a no-brainer for an industrialist and describes it as a way to turn an operating expense into a long-term asset. He has said industrial owners often do not claim tax benefits because their business registrations are not done, and that solar allows a 90% allowance in the first year. He has said residential customers cannot claim sales tax or income tax benefits. [1][3]

He has said people who can afford home solar are generally upper or upper-middle class. He has said a typical summer solar day gives about 70% of its power between 10 AM and 2 PM, and that residential owners use about 60% of solar output, with 40 to 50% excess in the day. He recommends that domestic users install solar panels on their rooftops. [1][3]

Views on batteries and microgrids

Siddiqui has said adding a battery to solar pushes the payback period to about six to seven years, and that the cost of using a battery is about 14 to 15 rupees per unit. He has said lithium battery prices currently stand at $120 per kilowatt, and that battery prices have fallen 40% within the last two years. He says batteries are still expensive. [1][3]

He has predicted 2027 will be the revolution year for battery packs in Pakistan, and that by 2028 or 2029 homes could run from a battery container. He has said Pakistani buyers are ready to place orders, but stock is not available in China. [1]

He says solar always needs a backup, including in industries, and that solar does not work on its own. He has said a net metering connection with a battery bank makes more sense than going fully off-grid. He has said microgrids can only work with a battery approach, and that microgrids are the future. He has said off-grid industries need land for solar panels to charge their batteries. [1][3]

Views on net metering and the grid

Siddiqui explains that net metering lets customers sell surplus electricity back to the grid. He has said the government had not yet installed a single net billing meter, and that 440 applications have been pending with DISCOs for five months since net billing was announced. He has said under net billing, electricity is bought at the national average rate, around 11 to 12 rupees. He has said net metering and net billing are unpopular decisions that are necessary. [1][3]

He says a rate of 25 percent of the purchase rate applies, and he calls the government very fair on that. He says clients are the ones who suffer most from net metering delays, and that net metering delays are already affecting people. He says NEPRA holds the authority over the generation licence, and that an SOP for net metering is being drafted. [2][3]

He has said the distribution network is not built to use the solar boom fully, and that utilities asked solar customers to shut down their plants. He has said only one megawatt of solar is currently allowed for industry. He says net metering is available in Karachi, so residents can switch to on-grid solar. [1][3]

Siddiqui has recommended privatizing the DISCOs. He has said K-Electric is the only private or semi-private organization working in Pakistan, that it runs one of the best net metering policies because of its digitalization, and that other DISCOs have far less digitalization than K-Electric. He has said he believes the energy sector should move towards a free market, and that he is a strong supporter of public-private partnerships. He says policies should continue across governments, and each new government spends about two years undoing the last one. [1][2]

Views on energy in Pakistan

Siddiqui says solar energy is here to stay in Pakistan, and that solar is a quick fix that will remain one for some years. He says Pakistan is a reactive nation that adopts new energy late, and has said Pakistan receives new technology after Europe, Australia and parts of Asia and America. He says Pakistan is very difficult to predict. [1][2][3]

He says Pakistan has some of the best sunshine hours in its most energy-needed months, and that solar suits Pakistan's summer electricity demand well. He says solar output falls in winter because sunshine hours decrease, and that Pakistan's summers are strong enough to cover the winter shortfall. He says the solar game in Pakistan has only just started. [3]

He says the future of energy is in renewables and that renewable energy is here to stay. He says renewables compete mainly with the oil and coal lobbies. He says Pakistan needs manufacturing facilities for renewable equipment, and that many engineering companies in Pakistan that call themselves solar experts tend to act only as traders. [3]

He says solar and wind avoid burning fuel that will not be renewed, and that a lot of work on wind power is happening in Pakistan now. He says distributed solar on rooftops, in homes and in industries is important for energy independence. He says energy demand will grow as the population grows. [2][3]

He says climate change is real, and that the focus on renewables should be a better environment. He expects a lot more solar in the coming years, and expects everybody to have a share of the solar market. He also expects other renewable technologies to arrive besides solar. [2][3]

Views on business

Siddiqui says a good businessman strengthens his basics, and that a satisfied customer matters more than marketing. He says money follows when a person has a clear vision. He says Pakistanis have potential that no one can beat. He tells young people to wake up each day with hope and keep the fire burning. [2]

Writing and speaking

Siddiqui has written a book. He says he is also a trainer and a speaker, and that he believes you should first do the work and then speak about it. [2]

Personal life

Siddiqui has a son who is seven years old. He keeps a pendulum watch in his room that motivates him every day. He says he is now immune to criticism. [2]

Timeline

2017

Financing arrives that Siddiqui says gave the solar industry its biggest push.[2]

2018

DSG is founded.[2]

2027

Siddiqui predicts this will be the revolution year for battery packs in Pakistan.[1]

Appearances

Frequently asked questions

References

1. Solar is no longer a novelty in Pakistan — it is a compulsion . Thought Behind Things , 2026-05-12.
2. DSG Podcast Ep 01: Making a Mark in Energy Landscape of Pakistan ft Daniyal Siddiqui . DSG Energy , 2024-05-19.
3. DSG Talks Ep 9 - Future of Renewable Energy in Pakistan ft. Daniyal Siddiqui & Aman Khan . DSG Energy , 2020-11-20.