Ikea goes live with new solar system in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh -- Ikea has plugged in the new solar energy system installed at its Pittsburgh-area store in Robinson Township, Pa. The 86,800-sq.-ft. PV array consists of a 694-kW system, built with 2,884 panels. It will produce approximately 852,200 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 648 tons of carbon dioxide, eliminating the emissions of 115 cars or powering 73 homes yearly.
Since 2000, Ikea Pittsburgh hosted a 31kW PPA (power purchase agreement) array that was removed to facilitate installation of the new system, owned and operated by Ikea. Including this system, there are 22 completed solar energy projects for Ikea in the United States, with 17 more locations underway, making the eventual U.S. solar presence of the company nearly 89% with a total generation of 38 MW.
For the development, design and installation of the Pittsburgh store’s customized solar power system, Ikea contracted with REC Solar, Inc., a national leader in solar electric system design and installation with more than 8,000 systems built across the U.S.