EcoFlow, a Chinese provider of power and energy storage solutions, is expecting to sell its plug-in products in British supermarkets within months, hoping to raise brand awareness as it aims to reach commercial clients, the company’s European head said.
The Shenzhen-based company, along with European supermarket group Lidl and British frozen foods chain Iceland, has been named by the British government as a partner in its plan to encourage households to adopt solar panels to cut reliance on fossil fuels.
The government also plans to build 1.5 million energy-efficient “warm homes” that are cheaper to run as part of efforts to reach its own net zero emissions by 2050. EcoFlow’s products allow users to plug solar panels into mains sockets, giving them easy access to renewable energy.
“People are already thinking seriously about energy independence, lowering bills, and getting more control over how they generate and use electricity,” Yuan Yidan, EcoFlow’s head of Europe, was quoted as saying in an email reply to Nikkei Asia queries. “Where there’s strong awareness of solar, battery storage and home energy management, adoption tends to happen much faster.”
EcoFlow did not respond to a question about its UK sales target but Yuan cited “significant opportunity” in small businesses, agriculture, off-grid applications and light commercial use.
The company has more than five million users worldwide and operates in over 140 countries, including several European markets. It said it has sold tens of thousands of units in collaboration with retailers such as Lidl and Ikea, through which it sells its products in a partnership with Swedish company Svea Solar in Belgium and Germany.
Just two of its panels plus a microinverter, which is a device that converts direct currents to alternating currents to produce electricity, would meet the basic needs of a family of four in London, by EcoFlow’s estimation.
Any excess electricity can be saved in its batteries or sold back to the grid, though EcoFlow also sells systems without storage. These batteries don’t need to be connected to the mains, but connectivity via an app will give users more control.
The UK and Europe offer EcoFlow much greater potential than China, where energy infrastructure is highly centralized, which means there is less demand for small-scale home systems. In China, its main business is portable chargers.
EcoFlow launched online in the UK last year and opened its headquarters—one of two local offices in Europe—in September. Rising household bills exacerbated by the Iran war could boost EcoFlow’s business, though the company is careful to point out that a lot still depends on government regulations that have yet to be fully formed.
Market conditions in the UK also differ considerably from those in mainland Europe, from the types of residential housing—there are far fewer balconies in the UK than in some countries in Europe—to restrictions around domestic energy production.
In European markets like France and Germany, households can simply plug their EcoFlow system into a wall socket and start using it. In the UK, however, existing regulations require an electrician to wire the product into the mains, which is both expensive and time-consuming.
A Department of Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said while plug-in solar products will need to meet product safety standards, initial tests have shown that these kinds of systems can be operated safely in the UK.
To achieve its net zero goals, the government must remove red tape and allow households to use the plug-in technology that is already compatible with UK homes, industry observers said.
Critics fear an overreliance on Chinese renewable technology could plunder the UK industry and pose a threat to security. In March, the British government blocked a project for a factory by Chinese wind turbine maker Ming Yang Smart Energy Group over national security concerns.
In response to a query about security issues, the company said, “Protecting customer data is a top priority for us. We design our software to meet strict security standards and ensure it complies with all relevant regulations … customers can feel confident that their data is being handled securely and responsibly.”
This article first appeared on Nikkei Asia. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei.