IKEA Puts $U.S. 75 Million Toward Cheap Solar
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden 
on 08.14.08
Johan Stenebo is chief of an IKEA susidiary called Greentech, and a man with a dream. Stenebo wants to invest in the "cheapest, best" PV roof panels available in order to sell them in IKEA stores in the next two to four years.
Low-cost solar a tall order
Of course, that's a very tall order. But IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad's son Peter is an avowed green tech believer, and Stenebo's Greentech will put about US$75 million into at many as ten companies in five different areas: solar technology, energy conservation, water saving products, alternative lighting, and new product materials. Scandinavian companies are Greentech's first focus. Nearly all of these areas are ones we would welcome the IKEA low-cost approach to, although setting up solar roof panels with just the simplistic diagrams and little Allen keys that accompany IKEA's usual do-it-yourself furniture seems something of a stretch. Then there's the problem than many installations require building and other permits. But IKEA's fabulous distribution network of 270 global superstores would mean green tech for the global masses, a welcome development.
Solar supermarkets in four years?
Up until now, IKEA has held itself to interior decoration rather than pursuing the constructing and building sector that is dominated (at least in the U.S.) by players such as Lowe's and Home Depot. But these megastores haven't tried to sell green solutions in any organized fashion, so IKEA sees little current competition for its plans to get products to stores in three to four years. Via ::Miljö Aktuellt (Swedish)
Read more on IKEA:
IKEA Bans Plastic Bags For Good
IKEA Gives Out 60,000 Free CFLs
IKEA Lighting The Way To Warmer LED Lamps
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This is the way to go.
Renewable energy must be cheap for mass appeal.
Mass appeal is more important than elite appeal.
At the very least, maybe this will motivate Lowe's and Home Depot to take a similar action. In the Democratic primary, no one was talking about health care until John Edwards brought it up. Even though he was the third place candidate, he forced Obama and Clinton to address the issue and come up with their own plans. We can hope for a similar type of response here.
It would upgrade the standard of living in almost 1/3 to 1/2 the world population where national grid is inaccessible to them especially in pockets of Third World countries. Thanks for the intelligent and thoughtful work!