IKEA U.S. Rolls Out Solar Power

Ikea U.S. recently announced plans to install a solar energy system at its Merriam, Kansas store slated to open this fall. The store is located about eight miles from Kansas City, Missouri. The 92,000-square foot solar array will contain 2,850 photovoltaic (PV) panels and will produce approximately 1,348,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity a year for the store. That is equivalent to the power needed for 128 homes, reducing 930 tons of carbon or the emissions of 196 cars. Once completed, it will be the largest rooftop solar array in Kansas.    The solar energy system is Ikea’s 41st solar project in the U.S. The 395,000 square foot Merriam store is currently under construction on 19 acres. The store will have a geothermal component to its healing and cooling system, the second U.S. store to contain one. The other store to contain one is in the Denver, Colorado area, which opened in 2011.    Ikea’s 40th solar power project will sit atop the 416,000 square foot Miami-Dade area store opening this summer in Sweetwater, Florida. The 178,000 square foot solar energy system consists of 4,620 PV panels and will produce about 1,738,876 kWh of electricity a year. The equivalent of the power needed for 169 homes, reducing 1,227 tons of carbon or the emissions of 256 cars.  Ikea has rooftop solar arrays on other Florida stores, including in Orlando, Tampa and Sunrise. The fourth solar project makes Ikea the largest non-utility solar owner in Florida.    To continue reading, click here

Photo: Rainchill

Gina-Marie Cheeseman is a Central California based journalist who writes about sustainability, environmental issues, and healthy living. Armed with a degree in journalism and a passion for social responsibility, she writes for a number of online publications. She firmly believes that collaboration between the public and private sectors can help solve many problems facing the planet and its people. She has been named one of the 75 Environmentalists to Follow on Twitter by Mashable.com.