Ikea expands solar power at Stoughton, Mass., store

Stoughton, Mass. -- Ikea has gone live with the expanded solar energy array atop its store that opened nine years ago in Stoughton, Massachusetts. The 51,516-sq.-ft. solar panel addition consists of a 318-kW system built with 1,248 panels, and will produce 385,900 kWh more of electricity annually for the store. It sits atop a 58,575-sq.-ft. store extension completed last summer.



With the new solar array, Ikea’s total 908.8-kW solar installation of 5,468 panels will generate 1,080,900 kWh of clean electricity yearly, the equivalent of reducing 745 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).



Ikea contracted Gehrlicher Solar America Corp., part of the multinational M+W Group, for the development, design and installation of the enhanced solar power system.



The expansion contributes to the Ikea solar presence of nearly 90% of its U.S. locations with a total generation goal of 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 has allocated $1.8 billion to invest in renewable energy through 2015, 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 157 wind turbines in Europe and Canada, with 104 more being built in the U.S. Other Ikea arrays have been expanded, too.