STORE SPACES

Conshohocken, Pa. -- Ikea announced plans to install solar energy panels on 10 additional United States locations, its entire presence in the Southern United States.

Pending governmental permits, installation will begin this winter, with completion expected in summer 2012.

Collectively, the nine stores and one distribution center will total 10.7 Megawatts (MW) of solar generating capacity, nearly 45,360 panels, and a projected annual electricity output of 15,248,334 kilowatt hours (kWh).

Washington, D.C. -- Supervalu has joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge, which aims to engage building operators nationwide in improving energy efficiency by 20% by 2020. The announcement was made by President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton during a leadership event attended by Craig Herkert, Supervalu chief executive officer and president, in Washington, D.C.

San Diego -- Ikea has officially plugged in three Blink Pedestal electric vehicle charging stations at its San Diego store as part of its partnership with ECOtality, a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies.

The San Diego project is the third such project for Ikea in the United States. Installation also is planned at six other Ikea stores in the western United States.

New York City -- A new report from Pike Research forecasts that LEDs will capture 52% of the commercial lighting market by 2021. Pike, a cleantech market intelligence firm, anticipates that LED lighting costs for various SSL products will be reduced by 80% to 90% in many cases during the next decade.

New York City -- Solid-state lighting figures prominently in Starbucks’ newly renovated Time Square flagship in New York City. The retailer utilized the services of Focus Lighting, a New York-based architectural lighting design firm, which called upon LED Source, an international supplier of LED lighting.

“LEDs are the most energy-efficient lighting solution on the market,” said Joe Zamore, VP of business development, LED Source, Wellington, Fla., which specializes specializes in full-scale evaluations and retrofits.

East Cleveland, Ohio -- Walgreens received GE Lighting’s Retailer of the Year award in recognition of the drugstore chain’s transition from F28 to F25 linear fluorescent lamps, a strategic move that enabled the company to achieve a 9% energy savings while also extending its re-lamp cycle — how frequently it changes bulbs — by 10%. The award was presented at GE’s third annual LED & Energy Efficient Lighting Trends for Retail conference, held at the lighting unit’s headquarters in East Cleveland, Ohio.

San Francisco -- Gensler has been selected to refurbish Wilkes Bashford, an upscale men’s and women’s clothing store in San Francisco. The project will involve a top-to-bottom renovation of the iconic, seven-level store.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Corp. was recognized with its third Green Power Partner of the Year Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Center for Resource Solutions. The chain is the first retailer to be named Partner of the Year for three consecutive years.