Retail giants join UK government drive to boost ‘plug-in’ balcony solar panels

Major UK retailers including Currys, B&Q, Amazon, and Lidl met with the government to discuss selling plug-in balcony solar panels, aiming to extend home electricity generation to renters and apartment dwellers without rooftop access. [1] Energy consumers minister Martin McCluskey hosted executives from the retailers on Tuesday to shape guidelines for the devices, which plug directly into a standard power socket and require no professional installation. [1] Asda, Screwfix, and Wickes also attended the talks. [1] The government first proposed the move last summer and expects the panels to appear in stores in the coming months. [1] The push draws on the experience of Germany, where roughly 1.5m balconies already host DIY solar kits known as Balkonkraftwerk. [1] The units typically cost between €400 and €800 and can cut household energy bills by about 30%, paying for themselves within six years. [1] McCluskey said the technology "can be transformative for renters or those on lower incomes." [1] B&Q chief executive Graham Bell said the retailer was "working closely with government and suppliers to understand and help shape the guidance, ensuring any products we offer are safe, compliant and straightforward to install." [1] He added that plug-in solar would be available to customers "as soon as possible." [1] B&Q already sells portable solar devices that charge a battery. [1] The initiative forms part of a wider government effort to decarbonise the electricity system by the end of the decade. [1] Energy secretary Ed Miliband aims to lift UK solar farm capacity from 18GW today to between 45GW and 47GW. [1] Ministers are also targeting rooftop solar on car ports, warehouses, and factory roofs; using 20% of the UK's largest warehouses could deliver 15GW of solar capacity, roughly half the planned growth. [1] Last year a record 269,000 solar installations were completed in the UK, over a third more than the previous year. [1] The surge has been driven in part by households seeking to insulate themselves from volatile global oil and gas prices. [1]