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How rapidly might acceptance of using solar at home rise, for anything from charging a phone to charging the whole house, if you could pick up the panels at IKEA the next time you stopped in for extra table linens? We just might find out.
IKEA has announced it plans to invest $77 million into its GreenTech energy fund, a fund that goes towards figuring out how to produce affordable solar panels, efficiency meters, and energy efficient lighting – things that are around, but not necessarily common, and definitely not cheap.
There are, obviously, a whole lot of researchers pondering this exact thing. But to have a whole $77 million more thrown into the research pot is great news, especially if it leads towards easy access of the technology via your local big-box IKEA – an especially big deal should people still oblivious to this technology (yes, they’re still out there) stumble upon it while shopping, think it's cool, and implement it at home. Because, you know, if IKEA carries it, then it must be okay and not crunchy granola to use, right?
The monies in the fund will be invested in up to 10 start-ups over the next five years, and the company hopes to get the first products into the market within three to four years. So keep your eyes peeled next time you’re furniture hunting…or just looking for a place to recycle your CFLs.
Via Inhabitat, photo via VeryBigJen
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This would be great if IKEA embraced solar panels, and water technologies that are inbedded into modular systems. There are many companies around the world developing modular systems - just type into google modular systems / prefabricated homes or structures. The next generation of these developments is to develop solar, water and waste systems into the fabric of the building designed in - not just add on features after the fact of the poorly designed homes that most of us live in.