Iconic Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has jumped aboard the balcony solar craze, launching its own range of balkonkraftwerk panel and battery kits for the booming German market.
Ikea Germany and Swedish solar company Svea Solar launched the new balcony solar kits last week, building on a partnership between the two companies which dates back to 2019.
Svea Solar and Ikea Germany have been slowly building up a diverse range of clean energy technology solutions, including solar panels, heat pumps, batteries, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, and have now expanded to include balcony power plants.
The new balcony solar kits are sold under the Stream brand by Svea Solar and range in functionality and capacity. As is the norm for Ikea, there’s a lot of customisation available, and all are DIY installable thanks to the plug-and-play design.
In Germany, “balkonkraftwerk,” or balcony power plants have become hugely popular, with the total number of installed systems recently estimated at around one million by the German Solar Industry Association (BSW).
Balcony solar is also becoming popular in Spain, while in the UK the government is currently taking steps to make “plug-in” solar available there.
According to reports, balcony solar systems typically save households about 30 per cent on their energy bills and cost and, with no installation fees, can pay for themselves within six years.
The base Ikea model Stream Complete Set S consists of two 450W rigid solar panels and an 800W microinverter. The next level up, the Stream Complete Set M, includes either two 450W or 520W solar panels and includes the Stream Pro Battery, with capacity of 1.92kWh and maximum input power of 1,500W.
For €60 more, you can swap to the Stream Ultra Battery, also with capacity of 1.92kWh, but with maximum PV input power of 2,000W and combining the 800W microinverter.
The range of kits continues to increase, with combinations including up to four modules ranging from 250W to 520W, either the Stream Pro or Stream Ultra batteries, and a variety of mounting brackets. And, of course, each of the components can be bought on their own.
The range of Stream balcony solar kits, which can be bought from the Svea Solar online store, are priced from €449 ($A) for the basic Stream Complete Set S, steps up to €1,229 ($A) for the Stream Complete Set M, and maxes out at €2,379 ($A) for the Stream Complete Set XL with four 520W solar panels, both the Stream Ultra and Stream AC Pro batteries, and basic mounting brackets.
Ikea Family or Ikea Business Network members can also benefit from a 15 per cent discount on all energy solutions sold by Svea Solar.
Tapping straight into the trend, Svea Solar confirmed that in just the first two days since the launch of its balcony solar kits, Svea Solar’s German website has seen over 15,000 visits.
“Interest has been record-breaking, with over 15,000 visits to Svea Solar’s German website in just the first two days and extensive attention in German media,” said Mattias Ringqvist, CEO of Svea Solar.
“Naturally, this is very exciting, especially as it coincides with our five-year anniversary in the German market.”
The new Stream solar balcony kits continues Ikea’s expansion of clean energy technologies in Europe, building on its range of Solstråle rooftop solar offers available in a number of markets.
Ikea Australia has also partnered with Solargain to offer home solar from $4,490, or with battery storage for an additional $9,000.
