Ensupra Solar provides do-it-yourself kits for consumers to install their own solar PV panels. Ensupra says its PluggedSolar kits have been installed at 100 homes across the United States and are now being distributed by individual resellers in Mexico.
The smallest PluggedSolar kit is a 6-panel, 1.7 kW, 120V system that sells for $3,999.00. It’s a plug-n-play product similar to an appliance. The larger, traditional solar installations have 240V AC, which requires a licensed electrician to make the connection.
A spokeswoman for the company says Ensupra helps the customer fill out the necessary paperwork to connect the solar system to the local utility and qualify for net-metering.
Ensupra’s PluggedSolar kit has a patent-pending technology that the company says is similar to traditional solar grid-tied systems installed in buildings across the country. The PluggedSolar kit panels come with a 25-year warranty, and its grid-tie inverters have a 5-year warranty.
The company says the amount of electrical energy generated by its kits depends on how many hours of full sunlight they receive: more sun equals more energy. Another important factor is temperature. The hotter it is outside, the less efficient the solar panel system.
In the United Kingdom, IKEA is trialing retail sales of solar panels at 17 stores. Customers can purchase a standard 3.36 kW PV system for a semi-detached home for about $9,200. IKEA’s trial is not an entirely do-it-yourself scheme, however. The retailer has partnered with Hanergy to help install the modules.