IKEA has announced roof -top solar energy installation plans for its new St. Louis store.
IKEA has selected Inovateus Solar for the development and installation of 1.28 MW customized solar power system.
Panel installation will begin this spring with the store opening scheduled for the fall 2015, which will be Missouri’s largest rooftop solar array.
The 259,000 square-foot solar array will incorporate 4,085 panels that are expected to produce approximately 1.78 GWh of electricity annually for the store.
The generated power will be equivalent to reducing 1,227 tons of carbon emission annually.
This installation will be IKEA’s 42nd solar project in the U.S, contributing to the IKEA roof top solar presence around 90 percent of its U.S. locations, with a total generation goal of 40 MW.
IKEA operates its own solar PV energy system atop the buildings and has so far installed around 700,000 roof top solar panels and 157 wind turbines across Europe and Canada.
In addition, IKEA has planned a global renewable energy investment of $1.8 billion through 2015, with a target of becoming totally energy independent by 2020.
Last month, IKEA projected plans for a possible store in the City of Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee increasing its presence in the Southeastern United States as its first store in the state.
In another development, IKEA proposed plans to increase the solar array atop its Detroit-area store in Canton, MI. The new panels will be installed from spring 2015 with a completion expected by summer.
Besides, IKEA has plans to produce only LED bulbs by 2016 and also has installed electric vehicle charging stations at 13 stores, with further plan for more locations.
There are currently more than 360 IKEA stores in 47 countries, including 40 in the U.S. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment.
Sabeena Wahid
editor@greentechlead.com