Ikea switches on 1-MW PV system at Minnesota store

Aug 28, 2012 - Swedish furniture retailer Ikea today celebrated the start of operation of a 1.014-kW photovoltaic (PV) system at its store in Minnesota's city of Bloomington.

The system includes 4,316 panels spread on an area of 142,000 sq ft (13,192 sq m) that will generate some 1.16 million kWh of power, enough to supply 100 households and save 801 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year, Ikea calculates. US solar power systems developer SoCore Energy has developed, designed and installed the system.

This is Ikea's 31st finished solar project in the US. Eight more are under development as part of its 38-MW pipeline of solar projects at its US stores. Ikea added that it had set aside EUR 590 million (USD 740.6m) for investments in renewable energy in the next three years.

The company had installed some 250,000 solar panels at its stores worldwide and owns some 110 operational wind turbines in Europe.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.255)

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