Major retailers to sell plug-in solar panels

• Lidl, Currys, and Asda among the major outlets to join government roundtable
• New laws expected to be ready within months
• Plug-in solar panels are already really popular in Europe

You could soon by plug-in solar panels from Amazon, Asda, Currys, B&Q, Screwfix, Lidl after they and other major retailers joined government plans to roll out the technology.

After announcing in March 2026 that it was planning to make plug-in solar panels more available for customers, the government has said it will consult with industry giants to make sure plug-in panels are safe to use.

Ministers say customers will be able to build on the savings they can already make by using roof-top solar panels (about £480 on average) once plug-ins are fully available.

At a government roundtable, John Boumphrey, UK & Ireland Country Manager, described plug-in solar panels as “a fantastic opportunity to make renewable energy more accessible”. Helping households to create their own energy, Boumphrey said, would save money and cut carbon emissions.

Martin McClusky, minister for energy consumers, said the “easy-to-install tech” can be “transformative for renters or those on lower incomes”.

Georgina Hall, Corporate Affairs Direcotr, Lidl GB, said that plug-in solar would a “highly effective, low-cost” option for people to cut their energy bills.

“We welcome this consultation and look forward to working alongside the government and industry partners to explore how these products can safely play their role in the UK’s clean energy revolution,” she said.

Plug-in solar panels are already popular in Europe. They can be put on balconies or any other outdoor space, connecting straight into the mains socket. This means it’s possible to run a home entirely on free solar power without an upfront installation cost.

Written By

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger Deputy editor

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024 and became deputy editor in 2025. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

He has represented The Eco Experts on national television several times, including the BBC’s Sunday Morning Live and ITV Tonight .

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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