Is DJI also trying to grab a slice of the photovoltaic market? From drones to power generation panels, can it still "take off" this time?

DJI enters the balcony photovoltaic sector, where opportunities and challenges coexist, reshaping the industry's underlying logic.

Foresee Energy learned that the recently-opened Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA 2026) gathered a dazzling array of new product booths, among which DJI showcased a complete balcony solar energy system. A photovoltaic panel, a micro-inverter, and a Schuko power socket are connected in series to form a complete power generation system.

This move has been interpreted by many media outlets as a "cross-border disruptive strike". But a question worth further exploration is: what does DJI's entry into the balcony photovoltaic track actually mean for the photovoltaic industry?

01

Starting from charging drones

A path driven entirely by customer demands

DJI's foray into the energy business is neither an impulsive decision nor a mindless chase of market trends. The starting point of this business line stems from the real pain points of drone users.

In the second half of 2022, DJI began internal planning for portable energy storage products. At that time, range anxiety for outdoor drone shooting was a rigid demand — a single battery could only support 20 to 30 minutes of flight, so it was common for users to carry multiple spare batteries.

In the past, this demand was met by third-party power supply brands, but DJI chose to develop its own product. At the end of 2023, DJI officially launched its first outdoor power station, one of whose core selling points is the ability to fast-charge batteries for its own drones.

This step has a clear positioning, it is not an independent energy business, but a supporting service for the drone ecosystem.

Later, DJI gradually expanded its power product portfolio. In 2025, its energy storage products began to extend from "outdoor" scenarios to "indoor" scenarios — the term "home backup power supply" appeared in its official public statements.

In the same year, DJI launched matching solar panels, allowing users to charge the energy storage system with photovoltaic power. At this point, DJI's energy business has completed its first leap from "charging accessory" to "independent power system".

At the IFA exhibition in September 2026, DJI completed its third step, packaging energy storage units, 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, targeting users who cannot install traditional photovoltaic systems but want to reduce their electricity bills.

Looking at 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, with users expanding from drone enthusiasts to camping groups, and further to urban tenants. This is not a "cross-border disruptive strike", but a natural process in which a company gradually expands its business along the needs of its core users.

02

What are the real challenges?

DJI has picked a favorable timing.

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, raised the power upper limit and granted tenants the right to install such systems under the Solar Package I in 2024, market demand rose rapidly. The United Kingdom has legally allowed plug-and-play photovoltaic systems to be connected to the grid for use since August 27, 2026. California has also passed relevant bills. DJI has entered the market at a time when the policy window has been fully 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 the policy orientation.

The rapid development of balcony photovoltaics is highly dependent on policy support, but relevant policies are not immutable. In June 2025, Germany issued the draft "IEC 60364-7-751", requiring balcony photovoltaic systems to be connected through independent circuits with protection devices, instead of being powered through ordinary sockets. France has also mandated that all balcony photovoltaic equipment must be connected to an independent circuit with a circuit breaker since August 2025, with the installation completed by a licensed electrician.

Although Germany and the United Kingdom currently maintain a relatively loose regulatory framework, the trend of European supervision tightening from "plug-and-play" to "standardized installation" has emerged. If more countries follow the French model, DJI's core selling point of "being usable as soon as it is plugged into a socket" will be greatly weakened.

Second, shortcomings in channels and supporting services.

DJI excels at making consumer electronics products, covering design, production and sales through retail channels. However, balcony photovoltaic systems involve installation, grid connection and after-sales maintenance, areas where DJI has no ready-made experience. Although "plug-and-play" lowers the installation threshold, users still need basic electrical knowledge and operational capabilities. If there are problems with installation, equipment failures, or poor connection to the power grid, does DJI have the ability to handle these issues? This is not a simple problem of drone users sending products back for repair, but an issue related to household electricity safety.

The German Plug & Play Photovoltaic Association also pointed out that if regulators force users to hire electricians or install special sockets, it will significantly increase costs and hinder the popularization of such systems, posing 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 market opportunity. Anker Innovations released its balcony photovoltaic and energy storage product Anker SOLIX Solarbank 4 E5000 Pro in May 2026. IKEA has already 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 costs 449 euros, and a typical two-component plug-and-play system in Germany is priced at around 500 euros. In contrast, DJI's Power 2000 alone sells for between 900 and 1100 euros, and the full set of system including photovoltaic panels and micro-inverters is likely to cost more than 1500 euros.

DJI is not selling the cheapest photovoltaic system, it is selling an "energy system" with built-in energy storage. But the question is, when an urban apartment tenant is faced with an entry-level system priced at 500 euros and a DJI system priced at more than 1500 euros, which one will they choose? 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 balcony installation potential at the 20 million level.

Calculations from a securities firm's research report, based on 2026 data from Germany, assuming that balcony photovoltaic installations increase by 400,000 units per year, there will be about 3.17 million balcony photovoltaic households in Germany by 2030, with a penetration rate of around 7.6%. There is a huge gap between "having potential" and "every household will install one". A system priced at more than 1500 euros is not an impulsive purchase for ordinary families.

03

What does DJI's entry mean for the photovoltaic industry

The real impact of DJI's entry on the industry is not reflected 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, photovoltaics have been a typical B2B business with multi-layer distribution, where power stations are regarded as assets and photovoltaic panels are treated as production materials. However, DJI packages photovoltaic panels, micro-inverters and energy storage units into a "plug-and-play" set, which is displayed on the IFA consumer electronics exhibition booth alongside drones and sweeping robots.

This move sends a signal that photovoltaics are evolving into "home appliances", entering supermarket shelves and e-commerce shopping carts.

This trend is not unique to DJI. Haier invested 6 billion yuan to build a new energy ecological park, TCL Zhonghuan maintains its leading position in silicon wafer shipment volume, Midea has taken control of Hiconics New Energy, and BYD has put residential photovoltaic products on the shelves of its dealerships in Brazil. Cross-border players are pouring in from all directions, jointly activating the consumer market for photovoltaic products.

However, whether DJI's model can succeed depends on whether two key problems can be solved:

The first is to convert "consumer brand trust" into "professional trust in 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 it can save, and who will repair it if 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 acts as a mirror.

It warns the whole industry that if the consumer market for photovoltaics is truly activated, traditional enterprises must learn to build brands, develop sales channels and optimize user experience, instead of only focusing on producing components and constructing power stations.

But DJI may not be the ultimate winner. The "plug-and-play" policy dividend it relies on has already shown cracks in Europe, and the energy service capabilities it lacks are precisely the core barriers in household scenarios.

This case will eventually prove one thing: whether the consumer market for photovoltaics is a real vast blue ocean, or just a short-term window spawned by policies and capital.

The answer may not lie on DJI's exhibition booth, but in the direction of European regulatory policies in the next three years and the real choices of users.

This article is from the WeChat Official Account "Foresee Energy", written by WANG Mengjiao, and published with authorization from 36Kr.