Home furnishings giant completes another solar project

Ikea has completed the installation of one of the largest solar rooftops in Ohio.



The solar panel installation is atop the retailer’s future store in Columbus, Ohio, due to open in summer 2017. The 213,000-sq.-ft. solar array consists of a 1.21 MW system, built with 3,546 panels, and will produce approximately 1,447,700 kWh of electricity annually for the store, the equivalent of reducing 1,017 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).



For the development, design and installation of the new store’s solar power system, Ikea selected REC Solar. Pepper Construction is building the store.



The Columbus solar installation represents the 46th solar project for Ikea in the United States, contributing to the Ikea’s solar presence atop nearly 90% of its U.S. locations, with a total generation goal of more than 40 MW. The retailer 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.