Our Solar Shops launch today in selected stores & online! More info: https://t.co/iuEg8fQ4gFpic.twitter.com/qNmXKzlvDH
— IKEA UK (@IKEAUK) April 25, 2016
While they disappeared for a little bit there, IKEA shoppers in the UK can once again buy some solar panels in-store to power the unbelievably low-priced corner lamp they just picked up.
The Swedish superstore chain first tried selling solar panels sourced from a Chinese company starting in 2013, offering them in their UK locations. But as the Guardian reports, due to the end of their contract with their Chinese supplier, as well as a 65% cut to government subsidies provided to solar power users, IKEA stopped selling the panels earlier this year.
However after just a few months in the dark, the flat-pack furniture giant has once again renewed their solar panel offerings. Now sourced from London-based company Solarcentury, IKEA’s mountable solar panels are being sold in “solar shops” opened up in their locations in Glasgow, Lakeside, and Birmingham, with the rest of their UK locations to resume selling the panels by the end of the year.
Unlike the majority of their offerings, the IKEA solar panels are not sold straight from the store (despite being relatively flat), and do not carry a signature, baffling product name. Instead, buyers get the panels and installation directly from Solarcentury. IKEA claims that the typical home (using around 10 panels) would cost around £4,550, or about $6,600.
The return to selling solar panels is a part of a larger move by the company to focus on reversing climate change and promoting sustainability. There is no word as to whether IKEA will bring their solar initiative to the United States or elsewhere, but there is no telling how much energy costs could be lowered by creating solar powered bachelor pads the world over.