Ikea goes solar in St. Louis
Conshohocken, Pa. – Ikea is taking a sunny approach to energy at its soon-to-open St. Louis store. The retailer has completed installation of solar panels atop its 380,000-sq.-ft. St. Louis store opening Sept. 30.
Once the other components are mounted, connected and operational, the project will be the largest rooftop solar installation in the state of Missouri. The store’s 259,000-sq.-ft. solar array comprises a 1.28-MW system, built with 4,085 panels, and will produce approximately 1.78 million kWh of electricity annually for the store, the equivalent to reducing 1,227 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
For the development, design and installation of the customized solar power system, Ikea selected Inovateus Solar LLC, a solar power distributor and integrator specializing in large-scale solar installations.
“Installing the solar panels is another exciting and sustainable step in the progress towards opening the future Ikea St. Louis,” said John Achillea, store manager. “Ikea strives to create a sustainable life for communities where we operate, and Ikea St. Louis can add to this goal with Missouri’s largest rooftop solar array.”
This array represents the 42nd solar project for Ikea in the U.S, contributing to the Ikea solar presence at nearly 90% of its U.S. locations, with a total generation goal of 40 MW. Consistent with the goal of also being energy independent by 2020, Ikea has installed more than 700,000 solar panels across the world and owns approximately 157 wind turbines in Europe and Canada, with 104 more being built in the U.S.
Other specific U.S. sustainable efforts include recycling waste material, energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, recycled construction materials, skylights in warehouse areas, water-conserving restrooms; and operationally, eliminating plastic bags from the check-out process, phasing-out the sale of incandescent light bulbs, facilitating recycling of customers’ compact fluorescent bulbs, and by 2016 selling only L.E.D. bulbs. Ikea also has installed electric vehicle charging stations at 13 stores, with a roll-out planned for more locations.