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IKEA announced the installing of solar panels is complete atop its St. Louis store opening September 30, 2015. Once the other components are mounted, connected and operational, the project will be the largest rooftop solar installation in the State of Missouri.
The store’s 259,000-square-foot solar array comprises a 1.28-MW system, built with 4,085 panels, and will produce approximately 1,780,000 kWh of electricity annually for the store, offseting 1,227 tons of CO2. IKEA selected Inovateus Solar LLC to design and install the IKEA St. Louis solar power system.
“Installing the solar panels is another exciting and sustainable step in the progress towards opening the future IKEA St. Louis,” said John Achillea, store manager. “IKEA strives to create a sustainable life for communities where we operate, and IKEA St. Louis can add to this goal with Missouri’s largest rooftop solar array.”
This array represents the 42nd solar project for IKEA in the U.S, contributing to the IKEA solar presence at nearly 90% of its U.S. locations, with a total generation goal of 40 MW. IKEA owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings – as opposed to a solar lease or PPA (power purchase agreement) – and globally has allocated more than $2 billion to invest in renewable energy through 2020, reinforcing its confidence and investment in solar PV technology. Consistent with the goal of also being energy independent by 2020, IKEA has installed more than 700,000 solar panels across the world and owns approximately 157 wind turbines in Europe and Canada, with 104 more being built in the U.S.