Guides · Faisalabad, Lahore, Punjab
Solar for Power Looms: A Guide for Faisalabad Loom Units
Short answer
Solar for power looms works when the plant is sized to the looms that run in daylight, not to the whole monthly bill. Most loom sheds run long shifts, often through the night, so solar can only carry the daytime share. The design also has to cope with dozens of loom motors restarting together after load-shedding, keep the three phases balanced, and stay inside your FESCO sanctioned load.
This guide is for owners of loom sheds in Faisalabad and nearby towns. For spinning, dyeing and large integrated mills, read our broader guide to solar for Faisalabad textile, dyeing and loom units. For estate-specific FESCO questions, see solar for factories in Faisalabad's industrial estates.
Why electricity decides whether a loom shed survives
Power looms are an electricity business. Yarn, wages and electricity are the three big costs, and electricity is the one an owner can do something about. In October 2026, industry representatives told the press that a large share of loom units in Faisalabad and adjoining towns had stopped working, and they named electricity costs as the main pressure on small workshops, alongside yarn prices, taxes and cheap imports. Those are industry claims, not audited figures, but the direction is clear to anyone running a shed.
Solar does not fix weak demand or yarn prices. What it can do is replace some of the units you buy from FESCO, or burn in a generator, with units from your own roof.
Power looms on solar
Looms
Steady day load
Shifts
Night shifts need grid or battery
How a loom shed uses power
A loom shed is unusual because its load is made of many identical small machines.
| Load | How it behaves | What it means for solar |
|---|---|---|
| Loom motors | Each loom has its own small motor. Dozens or hundreds run together for the whole shift | Steady base load; very good daytime match |
| Restart after an outage | All looms switched back on within minutes | A sharp peak that can set your MDI and trip an undersized inverter |
| Lighting and fans | On all shift, every shift | Steady; night share needs grid or generator |
| Exhaust fans and humidifiers | Heavier in summer | Matches summer solar output |
| Sizing, warping or winding machines (if on site) | Larger motors, intermittent | Adds to peaks; count separately |
| Workers' quarters, water pump | Often on the same meter | Small, but runs at night |
Check the nameplate on a loom motor and count how many run at once. That, with 12 months of bills, gives a far better picture than any rule of thumb.
The night shift problem
Many sheds run two long shifts. If half of your units are used after sunset, a solar plant can at most cover the daytime half without a battery. Storing enough energy to run looms all night is usually far too expensive to pay back. The honest approach is to size solar for the day shift and let the grid or generator carry the night.
Sizing a loom shed plant: worked example
New solar connections come under NEPRA's net billing rules, notified on 9 February 2026. Units you import are billed at your tariff, while units you export are credited at the national average energy purchase price, reported at about Rs 10-11 per unit when the rules were notified. Solar capacity cannot exceed your sanctioned load, with an overall cap of 1 MW. A loom unit gains most from units it uses itself. Our net metering and net billing guide gives the detail.
The arithmetic below uses round illustrative numbers only. It is not a forecast for your shed.
For example, if a shed uses 9,000 units a month over 26 working days:
- Daily use is about 9,000 ÷ 26 ≈ 346 units.
- If it runs two equal shifts, roughly half falls in solar hours: about 170 units a day.
- Using a rough yearly average of about 4 units per kW per day for a good Punjab site (see units per kW in Punjab), 170 ÷ 4 ≈ 42 kW would match the daytime load on an average day.
- On Fridays, holidays and shutdowns, that plant exports at the low rate. If those days are frequent, size a little smaller.
- Check the result against your sanctioned load and roof space. Either can cap the plant first.
Our guide to sizing under net billing explains each step in more depth.
Restarts, MDI and the inverter
When the grid returns after load-shedding, operators switch looms back on quickly to save production time. Hundreds of motors starting together draw a high current for a short period. That has three effects:
- MDI. If the restart peak falls in a demand recording period, it can set your maximum demand for the month. Solar output may help if the restart happens at midday, but it will not help after dark or on a cloudy morning. Read what MDI means on your bill.
- Inverter tripping. On a hybrid or off-grid design, the inverter must be sized for the restart surge, not only the running load.
- Generator stress. A generator carrying the restart alone can stall.
The simplest fix is often operational: restart looms in batches, a row at a time, over a few minutes. It costs nothing and protects the meter, the inverter and the generator.
Three-phase balance
Loom sheds are almost always on three-phase supply. Problems arise when lighting, fans and single-phase loads are not spread evenly, or when one row of looms sits on one phase. A three-phase inverter then supplies equal power to each phase while the load is unequal, and the grid makes up the difference on the heavy phase.
Before solar, an engineer should measure current on each phase and rebalance the distribution boards if needed. Our guides to three-phase vs single-phase inverters and phase imbalance with solar cover this. Many loom units also have capacitor banks for power factor; solar changes what those capacitors see, as explained in power factor and solar.
Time-of-use and peak hours
Some industrial connections are billed at a higher rate in the evening peak period, which falls after sunset. Solar cannot reach the peak period without a battery. For most loom sheds a battery large enough to run looms through the peak is hard to justify, but a smaller one that keeps lighting and a few critical machines running through short outages can be worth costing. Our guide to BESS for factories explains when storage pays.
Generators
Many loom units keep a diesel or gas generator for outages. Solar can share load with it during the day, but only with a proper controller. Without one, solar can push power back into the generator or drop its load too low, and it may trip. Our solar and generator hybrid guide explains how the controls work. Solar Works Pakistan does not sell generators, but we integrate existing sets into the design.
Roofs, lint and safety
- Sheds. Loom sheds are often long sheet or saw-tooth roofs, some decades old. Rusted purlins and brittle sheets are common. An elevated structure that bears on columns rather than sheets is often safer; see solar on tin sheet roofs. Our structures are designed in-house, fabricated and assembled by our own team, and carry a 3-year Solar Works Pakistan structure warranty.
- Lint. Weaving releases fibre that settles on panels and gets into inverter fans. Keep inverters in a clean, ventilated room away from the loom floor and plan walkways and water points for cleaning. See our panel cleaning guide.
- Fire. A shed full of yarn and cloth needs correct DC protection, cable routes clear of stock, and proper earthing. All tests needed for safe commissioning are completed before handover.
Loom shed solar price
Every shed is different, so systems are quoted after a site survey and design.
| Scope | What drives the cost | Price |
|---|---|---|
| On-grid solar plant (per kW) | Panel and inverter brands, structure type, cable runs | WhatsApp for today's rate |
| Elevated structure over a weak shed roof (per kW) | Span, height and column positions | WhatsApp for today's rate |
| Generator controller (if needed) | Generator size and inverter communication | WhatsApp for today's rate |
Why owners near Sargodha Road call us
Our head office is on Sargodha Road in Faisalabad, close to many loom areas, so site surveys are quick to arrange. Solar Works Pakistan is a solar EPC, engineering and trading company founded in 2021, with 300+ customers including 50+ industrial clients. Our sector experience includes loom operations, textile and dyeing units. Engineering and AutoCAD design are done in-house, and our own teams install and commission. Major equipment carries the manufacturer's warranty per product, and our service warranty covers the first year under applicable project terms. Read more on our industrial and commercial solar page or our Faisalabad solar company page.
Get today's price or a free site survey
Send your last 12 months of bills, the number of looms, your shift timings and generator size. Our engineers will tell you how much of your load solar can honestly carry.
- WhatsApp or call: 0336 666 4321
- Email: info@solarworks.pk
- Head office: Main Boulevard, Sargodha Rd, Block F FDA City, Faisalabad
- Lahore branch: 2nd Floor, Jeff Heights, Gulberg, Lahore
- Hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, daily
We serve loom units and factories throughout Punjab, and site surveys are normally free. You can also contact us online.
Frequently asked questions
Can solar run power looms?
Yes, during daylight. Solar can carry a large share of the loom load in the day shift, with the grid or a generator covering clouds and night work. Running looms all night on batteries is rarely worth the cost.
What size solar system does a loom shed need?
It depends on how many units you use in daylight hours, your sanctioned load and your roof. We size from 12 months of bills and a site survey. A shed that runs two shifts needs a smaller plant than its total bill suggests.
Why does my MDI jump after load-shedding?
When the grid returns, many loom motors are switched on together and draw a high starting current. If that peak is recorded, it can set your maximum demand. Restarting looms in batches reduces it.
Will solar reduce my FESCO bill if my looms run at night?
It reduces the units you buy during the day. Night units still come from the grid or generator. The saving depends on your daytime share of use, so we work it out from your bills rather than quote a figure.
Can solar work with my loom shed generator?
Yes, with the right controller that stops reverse power and keeps the generator above its safe minimum load. Solar Works Pakistan does not sell generators but integrates existing ones.
Is my old shed roof strong enough for panels?
Many old loom sheds are not, which is why we often use an elevated structure that rests on columns rather than roof sheets. Our engineers check the roof during the site survey.
Do you install solar for small loom units?
Our projects start from about 6 kW. Most loom sheds are well above that, so size is rarely a barrier.
Sources
- Daily Pakistan, "Faisalabad's 40pc power looms shut, leaving over 1 lac workers jobless" (7 October 2026)
- Net billing facts are carried over from our net metering and net billing guide, which lists its own sources.