IKEA & Hanergy Expand Residential Solar Offer To Switzerland

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IKEA recently expanded from selling solar panels produced by Hanergy in the UK and the Netherlands to a partnership with Hanergy in Switzerland. The residential solar panel offering launched in Spreitenbach, Switzerland earlier this month. Hanergy specializes in “next-generation” thin-film solar panel technology. The IKEA & Hanergy press release points out this is a first for Swiss consumers. The solar systems start at a great price of CHF 7,650 ($7,779), with an average price of CHF 12400 ($12,607) for a 4kW system (not taking into account VAT and including a 15% discount for IKEA FAMILY members).

According to the press release CleanTechnica received from IKEA, Hanergy previously commissioned research in Switzerland that found that if the costs of solar came down to a better value, 62% of Swiss consumers interviewed wished to go solar. This partnership brings down the cost of solar, so we’ll see how many now bite.

ikea_hanergy_solar

Incentives for solar energy as an energy-efficient, clean power source are found in most countries. Likewise, in April 2014, the Swiss government began encouraging more homeowners to install solar panels via financial incentives. With a one-off payment scheme called Einmalvergütung, homeowners normally can deduct a big portion of the project costs of solar systems from their taxable income. “For an average 4kW Hanergy system costing CHF 12400, a customer will receive a one-off payment of CHF 4800 from the Swiss Einmalvergütung scheme intended to incentivise solar uptake in the country and a further saving of up to CHF 1289 from tax deductions,” IKEA & Hanergy write.

All told, a solar panel system on a Swiss home is projected to generate CHF 18000 ($18,304) in earnings on average over 25 years. That a bit less than in the US but still a very attractive moneymaker.

Most countries realize it is immediately necessary to support renewable energy such as solar energy in order to cut carbon emissions from coal and natural gas power plants. Switzerland is also planning to stop leaning on the use of nuclear power. Switzerland committed to going nuclear-free in 2011. Switzerland’s first nuclear plant is scheduled to close in 2019 and will not be replaced. Thus, strong growth in solar and other renewables is crucial.


 

The press release from IKEA & Hanergy that we received discusses Hanergy’s unique solar panels a bit: “Hanergy’s German manufactured solar panels use next generation thin film technology, which means they have an attractive ‘all-black’ appearance, perform well in low-light and cloudy conditions, and require less energy to produce than regular ‘silicon’ solar panels. The Hanergy home monitoring system helps consumers monitor their system’s electricity generation anytime, anywhere and can be integrated with a smartphone. Hanergy also offers a 25 years performance guarantee on the solar panels, which warrants a minimum of 80% of rated capacity after 25 years.”

IKEA Switzerland Sustainability Manager Lorenz Isler said: “We are proud to be the third country to be able to offer affordable solar panels to our customers, helping to bring solar energy to the many. We want to enable our customers to live a more sustainable life at home in an affordable way, and a Hanergy solar system available from IKEA helps to do exactly that.”

Hanergy Solar UK CEO Toby Ferenczi, said: “We’re excited to bring Hanergy panels to IKEA customers Switzerland, following successful launches in the UK and the Netherlands. Residential solar panels are one of the best ways to reduce electricity bills, providing significant annual savings, while reducing our carbon footprint.”

After these initial three countries, IKEA is planning to sell solar panels in 5 more countries in the near future. IKEA is a 2015 Zayed Future Energy Prize finalist for its leadership. The company’s increasing focus on offering sustainable products has grown well beyond furniture to cleantech of various sorts — for example, solar panels, electric bikes, and LEDs (it was one of the first if not the first major retailer to phase out incandescent light bulbs). Two IKEA stores in Vienna, Austria, began selling the FOLKVÄNLIG electric bicycle at a cost of €749 or about $1,023 dollars at today’s exchange rate, but there’s an expectation the bike or other electric bikes will be offered in more places in the coming years.

Hanergy has continually expanded in the US as well as succeeding in Europe. The company recently acquired Alta Devices Inc, a California-based manufacturer of high-efficiency thin-film solar cells. Before that, Hanergy acquired Arizona-based Global Solar Energy Inc, Silicon Valley startup MiaSole, and Germany’s Q Cells AG. Hanergy is a major renewable energy generator in China — it has a presence in the hydropower, solar power, and wind power sectors.

Related Stories:

IKEA Expands Solar Sales to Eight New Countries

The IKEA “FOLKVÄNLIG” Isn’t Furniture, It’s An Electric Bike

Tesla Goes With Hanergy’s Thin-Film Flexible PV System For Supercharger Network In China

Image Credit: IKEA


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Cynthia Shahan

Cynthia Shahan, started writing after previously doing research and publishing work on natural birth practices. Words can be used improperly depending on the culture you are in. (Several unrelated publications) She has a degree in Education, Anthropology, Creative Writing, and was tutored in Art as a young child thanks to her father the Doctor. Pronouns: She/Her

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