IKEA To Begin Selling “At-Cost” Home Solar Panel Systems For Under $10,000

Swedish furniture manufacturer IKEA recently announced a plan to sell “at-cost” home solar panel systems that will range from $7,500 – $10,000. The offer is slowly rolling out in different markets and is already available in different parts of Europe and Japan. This week, IKEA Australia boss Jan Gardberg announced that the solar panels will soon be sold in his region as well.

In an interview with 9 News, Gardberg said, “We have already introduced (solar panels) into the UK market and in Poland and something similar in Japan, and I and the team would like to find a way to introduce that to the Australian market.”

“It would actually be cost-neutral because we believe this to be another positive way that we, as a big company, can contribute for the sustainable life at home for the many people in Australia,” he added.

According to Canstar Blue, this is the price list that is currently being used for IKEA solar products in the UK:

– a 3kW solar system for £4,412 ($A7,800);
– a customisable solar system, starting at 3kW for £4,941 ($A8,700);
– and a customized solar system that’s “designed to integrate seamlessly with your roof,” again starting at 3kW, this time costing £6,176 ($A10,900).

Hopefully, their solar panels are of a better quality and easier to put together than their furniture is.

The price of solar panels has continued to decrease with each passing year, making solar as a viable energy source a very real possibility.

2016 data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) suggests that solar has actually already become the cheapest way to generate energy.

According to a recent estimate released by the International Energy Agency, solar will be the world’s primary source of energy by 2050. Recent breakthroughs in solar technology are making it more efficient and cheaper to extract energy from the sun, which in turn, is making this technology more available to the average person.

Solar power is unlike most other energy resources because there is a limitless supply. This limitless supply of power could actually cause energy prices to drop so low that anyone could afford it. Like all technology, the technology to harness electricity from the sun will continue to become cheaper as it is developed and perfected.

Image: Shutterstock/DIYANA DIMITROVA.