PERRYVILLE, Md. — IKEA officially plugged-in the solar power system installed at its distribution center in Perryville, Md., which is the state’s largest solar rooftop array. The 768,972-square-foot photovoltaic (PV) array is a 2,674.9-kW system, built with 18,576 panels. The IKEA distribution center will produce approximately 3,397,178 kWh of clean electricity annually.

This installation represents the 36th completed solar project for IKEA in the United States, with three more locations underway, making the eventual U.S. solar presence of IKEA nearly 90 percent of its U.S. locations with a total generation of 38 MW. IKEA owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings and globally has allocated $1.8 billion to invest in renewable energy through 2015. To meet its goal of being energy independent by 2020, IKEA has installed more than 250,000 solar panels on buildings across the world and owns/operates approximately 110 wind turbines in Europe.

For the development, design, and installation of the Perryville distribution center’s customized solar power system, IKEA contracted with Inovateus Solar LLC, a leading solar power distributor and integrator specializing in large-scale solar installations.

“As one of the largest rooftop arrays in the country, this installation will ensure that the IKEA Perryville distribution center consumes very little power from the electric grid,” said Ed Morris, Perryville Distribution Center manager. “IKEA is thrilled at this opportunity to further our investment in this community while also continuing our commitment of incorporating sustainability into our supply chain operations. We appreciate the continued support of the city of Perryville, Cecil County, Delmarva Power, and Inovateus Solar, our partners in this project.”

For more information, visit ikea-usa.com.

Publication date: 5/6/2013