Ikea hooks to grid 1.06-MW solar system at Florida store

Jan 30, 2013 - Swedish furniture retailer Ikea said today it had tied to the grid a 1.06-MW rooftop solar system at its store in Sunrise, southern Florida.

The facility, developed and installed by US solar systems provider REC Solar Inc, consists of 4,368 photovoltaic (PV) panels. It is expected to generate about 1.55 million kWh of electricity per year, offsetting 1,181 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

This is the 35th solar project that the furniture group completes in the US, including its Tampa and Orlando facilities in Florida. It has more projects underway for another four sites, which when completed will bring its solar capacity in the US to 38 MW. The company owns all of the solar systems installed atop its buildings.

Ikea intends to invest USD 1.8 billion (EUR 1.3bn) in renewable energy projects through 2015, in line with its strategy to achieve energy independent by 2020. Last week Bloomberg cited IKEA president Mikael Ohlsson as saying that the company would boost the renewables spending to USD 4 billion between 2015 and 2020 to reduce costs so it can keep up its expansion rate.

Ikea has more than 330 stores in 40 countries, of which 38 in the US.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.738)

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