DJI enters the balcony photovoltaic track, where opportunities and challenges coexist and reshape the inherent logic of the industry.
Energy Foresight learns that as IFA 2026 (Berlin International Consumer Electronics Fair) recently opens, DJI showcases a set of balcony solar system among the dazzling array of new product booths. A photovoltaic panel, a micro-inverter and a Schuko power socket are connected in series to form a complete power generation system.
This scene is interpreted by many media outlets as a “cross-border strike”. But a question worth exploring is: what exactly does DJI’s entry into the balcony photovoltaic sector mean for the photovoltaic industry?
DJI’s layout in the energy sector is not a random decision, nor is it simply chasing a fleeting trend. The starting point of this business line comes from the real pain points of drone users.
In the second half of 2022, DJI began to plan portable energy storage products internally. Back then, range anxiety for outdoor drone shooting was a rigid demand — a single battery can only support 20 to 30 minutes of flight, so it was common for users to carry several spare batteries.
Previously, this demand was met by third-party power supply brands, but DJI chose to develop its own products. At the end of 2023, DJI officially launched its first outdoor power station, one of the core selling points of which is supporting fast charging for its own drone batteries.
The positioning of this step is very clear: it is not an independent energy business, but a supporting service for the drone ecosystem.
After that, DJI gradually expanded its power product portfolio. In 2025, its energy storage products began to extend from “outdoor” to “indoor” — the term “home backup power supply” appeared in its official descriptions.
In the same year, DJI launched supporting solar panels, allowing users to charge the energy storage device with photovoltaic power. Up to this point, DJI’s energy business has completed its first leap from a “charging accessory” to an “independent power system”.
At the IFA exhibition in September 2026, DJI took the third step: it packaged energy storage devices, photovoltaic panels and micro-inverters into a complete grid-connected home energy system that can be directly plugged into a household socket for use, targeting urban apartment residents.
This system does not rely on rooftop installation and requires no construction team, with target users being people who cannot install traditional photovoltaic systems but want to reduce their electricity bills.
Looking through this timeline, from drone chargers to outdoor power stations, and then to home energy storage systems with photovoltaic panels, every step is an extension of the previous stage. The user group has expanded from drone enthusiasts to camping crowds, and then to urban renters. This is not a “cross-border strike”, but a natural process in which a company gradually expands its business along the needs of its core users.
DJI has picked a favorable timing to enter the market.
Germany is one of the world’s largest markets for balcony photovoltaics. As of May 2026, the number of official registrations for plug-and-play photovoltaic systems in Germany has exceeded 1.3 million units. After Germany simplified registration procedures, relaxed the power upper limit and granted renters the right to install such systems through the Solar Package I in 2024, market demand grew rapidly. The United Kingdom has allowed legal access and use of plug-and-play photovoltaic systems since August 27, 2026. Relevant bills have also been passed in California. DJI has chosen a region where the policy window has already opened.
However, picking the right timing does not mean there are no challenges. DJI faces at least three real problems:
First, there is uncertainty in policy orientation.
The rapid development of balcony photovoltaics relies heavily on policy support, but policies are not set in stone. In June 2025, Germany issued the draft of “IEC 60364-7-751”, which requires balcony photovoltaic systems to be connected through independent circuits with protective devices, and cannot be powered through ordinary sockets. France has also mandated that all balcony photovoltaic devices be connected to independent circuits with circuit breakers and installed by licensed electricians since August 2025.
Although Germany and the UK still maintain a relatively loose regulatory framework at present, the trend of European supervision tightening from “plug-and-play” to “standardized installation” has emerged. If more countries follow the French model, the core selling point of DJI’s system — “usable as soon as plugged into a socket” — will be greatly weakened.
Second, there are shortcomings in channels and services.
DJI is good at developing consumer electronics products, covering design, production and sales through retail channels. But balcony photovoltaic systems involve installation, grid connection and after-sales maintenance, for which DJI has no ready-made experience. Although “plug-and-play” lowers the installation threshold, users still need basic electrical knowledge and operational capabilities. If problems occur during installation, equipment fails, or the connection with the power grid is not smooth, does DJI have the ability to handle these issues? This is not a simple matter of users returning drones for repair, but a problem related to household electricity safety.
The German Plug-and-Play Photovoltaic Association also pointed out that if regulators force users to hire electricians or install special sockets, the cost will rise significantly and popularization will be inhibited, which poses a potential threat to DJI’s “plug-and-play” model.
Third, the competitive landscape is far more crowded than imagined.
DJI is not the only company that has spotted this opportunity. Anker Innovations released its balcony photovoltaic and energy storage product Anker SOLIX Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro in May 2026. IKEA has launched balcony photovoltaic packages in Germany. There are also many local balcony photovoltaic brands in Europe.
More importantly, DJI’s pricing strategy puts it in a delicate position. The basic version of IKEA’s package is priced at 449 euros, and a typical dual-panel plug-and-play system in Germany costs about 500 euros. The standalone price of DJI’s Power 2000 is around 900 to 1100 euros, and the full set of system with photovoltaic panels and micro-inverters is most likely to cost more than 1500 euros.
DJI is not selling the cheapest photovoltaic system, but an “energy system” with energy storage function. The question is, for an urban apartment renter, when choosing between an entry-level system priced at 500 euros and DJI’s system priced at more than 1500 euros, what choice will they make? Whether DJI’s brand premium can support this price gap remains to be verified by the market.
There is also a more fundamental question: how large is the market size of balcony photovoltaics itself. Germany has an estimated installation potential of 20 million balcony-level units.
A brokerage research report estimates that based on Germany’s 2026 data, assuming that the annual new installation volume of balcony photovoltaics reaches 400,000 units, Germany will have about 3.17 million balcony photovoltaic households by 2030, with a penetration rate of around 7.6%. There is a huge gap between “having potential” and “all users will install it”. A system priced at more than 1500 euros is not an impulsive purchase for ordinary households.
The real impact of DJI’s entry on the industry does not lie in sales volume, but in reshaping the industry logic. It has verified a new path: photovoltaic products can be sold in the same way as consumer electronics.
For a long time, photovoltaic is a typical B2B business with multi-level distribution. Power stations are treated as assets, and photovoltaic panels are treated as production materials. But DJI packages photovoltaic panels, micro-inverters and energy storage devices into a “plug-and-play” set, which is displayed at the IFA consumer electronics fair alongside drones and robotic vacuum cleaners.
This action sends a signal that photovoltaics are becoming “home appliances”, entering supermarket shelves and e-commerce shopping carts.
This trend is not being followed by DJI alone. Haier has invested 6 billion yuan to build a new energy ecological park, TCL Zhonghuan maintains its leading position in silicon wafer shipment, Midea holds a controlling stake in Hiconics, and BYD has launched household photovoltaic products in its dealership stores in Brazil. Cross-border players are pouring in from all directions, jointly activating the consumer market for photovoltaics.
However, whether DJI’s model can be successfully implemented depends on whether two key problems can be solved:
The first is to convert “consumer brand trust” into “professional trust in the energy sector”. When buying a drone, users care about image quality; when buying a photovoltaic system, users care about whether it will catch fire, how much electricity bill it can save, and who will be responsible for maintenance when it breaks down. The logic of building these two types of trust is completely different.
The second is to cope with the fading of policy dividends. If the convenience of “plug-and-play” is gradually weakened by policies, DJI will lose its biggest differentiated selling point. At that time, it will have to compete head-on with traditional photovoltaic installers, which will be a completely different battle.
For traditional photovoltaic enterprises, DJI’s entry serves as a mirror.
It warns the entire industry that if the consumer market for photovoltaics is really activated, traditional enterprises must learn to build brands, develop sales channels and optimize user experience, instead of only focusing on producing components and building power stations.
But DJI may not necessarily be the final winner. The “plug-and-play” policy dividend it relies on has shown cracks in Europe, and the energy service capabilities it lacks are precisely the core barriers in the home scenario.
This case will eventually prove one thing: whether the consumer market for photovoltaics is a real huge blue ocean, or just a short-lived window brought by policies and capital.
The answer may not lie in DJI’s booth, but in the trend of European regulation and the real choices of users in the next three years.
This article is from the WeChat official account “Energy Foresight”, written by Wang Mengjiao, and published with authorization from 36Kr.
该文观点仅代表作者本人，36氪平台仅提供信息存储空间服务。
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