Another solar milestone for home furnishings giant

The larger solar rooftop array in the state of Washington is now completed — and it’s on top of an Ikea store.



Ikea has installed a solar array on the top its 244,000-sq.-ft. store currently under construction in Renton, Washington. It is scheduled to open in spring 2017.



The installation consists of a 1.13 MW system, built with 3,268 panels that will produce approximately 1,261,000 kWh of electricity annually for the store, the equivalent of reducing 886 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). REC Solar designed Ikea’s solar array, which was installed by Seattle-based A&R Solar. Deacon Corp. is managing the construction of the store.



This array represents the 45th solar project for Ikea in the United States, giving the chain as solar presence atop nearly 90% of its U.S. locations, with a total generation goal of more than 40 MW. Ikea owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings – as opposed to a solar lease or PPA (power purchase agreement) – and globally allocated $2.5 billion to invest in renewable energy through 2020, reinforcing its confidence and investment in solar photovoltaic technology.



Consistent with the goal of being energy independent by 2020, Ikea has installed more than 700,000 solar panels on buildings across the world and owns approximately 300 wind turbines, including 104 in the United States.