IKEA to Install Solar Panels on Five Locations in the Midwest
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — IKEA has announced plans to install solar panels on five more of its United States locations — all of them in the Midwest. Pending governmental permits, installation is expected to begin this winter, with completion expected in summer 2012. IKEA said implementation of these projects will extend its solar presence to nearly 85 percent of its U.S. locations. Collectively, the five stores will total 4.8 megawatts (MW) of solar generating capacity, approximately 20,400 panels, and an annual output of 5.62 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity.
IKEA said this investment reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to sustainability and its confidence in solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. IKEA will own and operate each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings — as opposed to a solar lease or power purchase agreement (PPA) — which will now include its two Chicago-area stores (Bolingbrook and Schaumburg), as well as stores in Bloomington, Minn., Canton, Mich., and Pittsburgh.