Ikea has rebooted its solar panel offering with several ‘solar shops’ opening at stores across the UK this week as part of the retailer's renewed sustainability drive.

The flat-pack furniture expert will push sales of solar panels online and in stores in Glasgow, Birmingham and Lakeside this week with a full UK-wide rollout expected by the end of the year.

Ikea said it was tapping into its customers' rising interest in self-generated solar electricity and that it planned to make rooftop solar “an essential part of any home”.

One third of all customers would like to invest in solar, Ikea said, with over half of those citing a possible 50pc energy bill cut as the key reason for their interest.

Joanna Yarrow, Ikea’s UK sustainability boss, said the retailer hoped the new solar shops would encourage “more and more people to embrace solar energy for their homes”.

“Despite the challenging UK renewable energy policy situation, we want to turn solar into an essential part of any home and believe our new ‘Solar Shops’ will be a major milestone in making this happen,” she said.

Ikea abandoned its previous attempt to win over customers with its solar panels earlier this year after the Government slashed solar power subsidies.

The furniture group cancelled its deal with China’s Hanergy in November. It will use London-based developer Solarcentury in its new venture.

Solarcentury’s Susannah Wood said: “Solar is now a mature, tried and tested technology that is being deployed the world over, and we want IKEA customers to be able to join this energy revolution with confidence and ease. At Solarcentury, we’ve always aimed to make solar accessible for all, and this new collaboration with IKEA achieves exactly that.”

After the initial rollout this week Manchester and Southampton stores will open solar sales in May, and all other stores will follow by the end of the 2016, Ikea said.

(Source: telegraph.co.uk  Author: Jillian Ambrose)