Currys, B&Q, Amazon and Lidl All Confirmed for UK Plug-In Solar — Government Launches Safety Consultation

This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, SolarSnap may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

The UK plug-in solar story just took its biggest step yet. On 16 June 2026, the government confirmed that four major retailers — Currys, B&Q, Amazon and Lidl — have joined its plans to bring plug-in solar panels to UK homes, following a roundtable with some of the country's biggest retail names. Alongside this, the government has launched a formal consultation on the safety rules that will govern the rollout.

This is a significant escalation from where things stood even a few weeks ago. Here's what's actually changed and what it means if you're considering plug-in solar.

What Was Announced

At a roundtable hosted by Minister for Energy Consumers Martin McCluskey, retailers with a combined total of almost four thousand stores and significant online presence discussed bringing plug-in solar to market. Attendees included Amazon, Asda, B&Q, Currys, Screwfix and Wickes.

Four retailers have now been explicitly named as joining government plans: Currys, B&Q, Amazon and Lidl. This expands considerably on the original March 2026 announcement, which named Lidl and Iceland as the primary retail partners. B&Q and Currys joining is a notable development — it signals the rollout extending well beyond supermarkets into home improvement and electronics retail, covering a much wider range of UK shopping habits.

Minister McCluskey said: "Plug-in panels can be transformative for renters or those on lower incomes, so I welcome the conversation today with household names such as B&Q and Currys showing a huge amount of support for getting the panels in people's homes."

What Each Retailer Said

The retailer statements give a useful signal of how seriously each company is taking this:

B&Q — CEO Graham Bell confirmed B&Q already sells portable solar and battery products, and described plug-in solar as a natural extension: "This builds on our existing range of portable solar and battery solutions. We are working closely with government and suppliers to understand and help shape the guidance, ensuring any products we offer are safe, compliant and straightforward to install." This suggests B&Q may move quickly given their existing category experience.

Currys — Director of New Categories Michelle Gorringe-Smith noted Currys' scale: "With energy bills continuing to rise, enabling the safe roll-out of these products will mark an important step for consumers across the UK - including the more than 80% of UK households that shop at Currys." That reach is significant — Currys becoming a stockist would put plug-in solar in front of the vast majority of UK shoppers.

Amazon — UK & Ireland Country Manager John Boumphrey emphasised Amazon's existing renewable energy investments: "Amazon is the largest corporate buyer of carbon-free energy in the UK – we've invested in over 40 large scale solar and wind projects to date." Amazon already sells plug-in solar components, so their involvement here likely accelerates a fully compliant, certified product range rather than starting from scratch.

Lidl — Corporate Affairs Director Georgina Hall reiterated Lidl's support from the original March announcement, welcoming "a clear, robust framework to bring plug-in solar to market safely and efficiently."

The Safety Consultation — Why This Matters

Alongside the retailer announcement, the government launched a formal consultation: Plug-in solar: Regulatory amendment and interim product specification. This is a meaningful procedural step — it's the government formally seeking industry views on how the safety rules will be enforced, which directly feeds into the BSI product standard expected this summer.

A companion document, the Plug-in solar electrical safety study, has also been published. This is the technical safety assessment that underpins the whole rollout — the work that determines what "safe" actually means for a plug-in solar kit connecting to UK home wiring.

For anyone who's read our guide on buying plug-in solar safely, this consultation is precisely the mechanism that will formalise the certification standards we discussed — UKCA marks, anti-islanding protection, and the BSI product standard. This is the government doing the groundwork now so that by the time products land on shelves, the safety framework is properly tested and agreed with industry.

The Numbers Behind the Push

The announcement included fresh data showing just how fast UK solar adoption is moving. 2025 saw a record 269,000 solar installations completed in the UK — the highest total ever recorded in a calendar year and 37% larger than the year before. Around 255,000 of these were rooftop solar, meaning at least 95% of all new solar was installed on homes, businesses and other buildings — equivalent to a new rooftop solar installation every two minutes throughout 2025.

The government also pointed to existing rooftop solar savings as context: rooftop solar panels are already saving some households up to £480 a month, depending on system size and usage. Plug-in solar won't match that scale — it's a fundamentally smaller system — but it extends some of that saving potential to the millions of households who can't access rooftop solar at all.

What This Means If You're Considering Plug-In Solar

The market is moving faster than the original timeline suggested. Four major retailers joining in a single announcement — rather than the gradual one-retailer-at-a-time pattern we'd seen — suggests the government is pushing hard to have multiple retail channels ready for the summer launch window. If you were planning to wait until products hit shelves, the list of places to check has just grown considerably.

The safety framework is being taken seriously. A formal consultation alongside a published electrical safety study is a good sign for anyone concerned about buying a properly certified, safe product. This isn't a rushed deregulation — there's a genuine technical and procedural process underpinning it.

B&Q and Currys are genuinely new information. If you're someone who shops at a DIY or electronics retailer rather than a supermarket, this is the first confirmation that plug-in solar will likely be available somewhere you already shop.

You don't have to wait. Established brands like EcoFlow and Jackery are already available in the UK now. With an electrician making the final connection (typically £150–£300), any current kit is fully compliant — and you'd be capturing peak summer generation rather than waiting until autumn for the retail launch.

Before You Buy — From Any of These Retailers

Whichever retailer you eventually buy from — Currys, B&Q, Amazon, Lidl, or a specialist like EcoFlow or Jackery — the fundamentals haven't changed. The single biggest factor in whether a plug-in solar panel is worth buying isn't which shop you buy it from, it's whether your specific outdoor space gets enough usable sunlight.

SolarSnap is a free app that checks this in under 60 seconds. Point your phone at the sky from where you'd place the panel, and get an instant Excellent / Good / Fair / Poor rating based on your GPS location, compass direction, tilt angle, and real solar irradiance data for your area. There's an optional one-off upgrade for a full annual yield and savings estimate in pounds.

What We're Watching Next

The outcome of the safety consultation and any resulting changes to the interim product specification
Whether B&Q, Currys or Amazon announce specific products or launch dates ahead of Lidl
The BSI product standard publication, still expected around July 2026
Whether Asda, Screwfix or Wickes — all present at the roundtable but not yet named as confirmed partners — formally join the rollout

We'll update this article and our other guides as these developments unfold.

Sources

Check your home's suitability in 60 seconds — free

SolarSnap gives you an instant verdict before you spend a penny on a kit — from Lidl, Currys, B&Q or anyone else.