Solar panels in a store near you: Ikea follows Home Depot

Everybody’s liking Ikea selling solar panels in Britain, but Home Depot’s been doing that in the U.S. for four years now. And yes, you can order them here.

Malin Rising wrote for AP 30 Sep 2013, IKEA starts selling solar panels for homes,

Swedish flat-pack furniture giant IKEA will start selling residential solar panels at its stores in Britain, the first step in its plan to bring renewable energy to the mainstream market worldwide.

The company started selling solar panels made by China’s Hanergy in its store in Southampton on Monday. It will sell them in the rest of Britain in coming months, it said.

A standard, all-black 3.36 kilowatt system for a semi-detached home will cost 5,700 British pounds ($9,200) and will include an in-store consultation and design service as well as installation, maintenance and energy monitoring service.

Way back in December 2009 I blogged that Lowe’s was already selling solar panels and Home Depot, as well. I can’t find any on Lowe’s website at the moment, but Home Depot has kits for a variety of prices; sample in this table:

$22,500 Grape Solar 10,000-Watt Monocrystalline PV Grid-Tied Solar Power Kit
$11,350 Grape Solar 5,000-Watt Monocrystalline PV Grid-Tied Solar Power Kit
$8,445 Grape Solar 3,500-Watt Monocrystalline PV Grid-Tied Solar Power Kit
$2,897 Grape Solar 1,000-Watt Expandable Monocrystalline PV Grid-Tied Solar Power Kit
$1,425 Grape Solar 400-Watt Off-Grid Solar Panel Kit
$690 Grape Solar 200-Watt Off-Grid Solar Panel Kit

HD’s 3.5 KW system for $8,445 is actually more for less than Ikea’s 3.36 KW system for $9,200. All HD’s Grape solar kits are listed for the Valdosta store as “free shipping”. Now in Georgia you’ll have to hire a certified solar installer to install them if you want the 35% state tax rebate or the 30% federal tax credit, but that could be worth it.

-jsq