CANTON TWP. — Ikea, the Swedish home furnishings retailer, said Wednesday it plans to expand the solar array atop its Detroit-area store in Canton Township as part of the project to add 44,000 square feet of space to the store.
New panels will be going up beginning in the spring on the array, which is already Michigan’s largest rooftop solar system.
The 40,000-square-foot solar addition will consist of a 240.9-kilowatt system built with 765 panels, and will produce 287,490 kilowatt-hours more of electricity per year for the store.
Including the existing system, Ikea Canton’s total 1,218.5-kilowatt (1.2-megawatt) solar installation of 4,925 panels will generate 1,426,490 kilowatt-hours of clean electricity yearly, the equivalent of reducing 984 tons of carbon dioxide, eliminating the emissions of 207 cars or powering 135 homes, according to calculations made to EPA standards.
Said Matt Hunsicker, Ikea Canton store manager. “This is another example of the Ikea commitment to create a more sustainable life for communities where we operate.”
For the development, design and installation of this store’s enhanced solar power system, Ikea selected Inovateus Solar LLC, an industry-leading solar power distributor and integrator specializing in large-scale solar installations.
The company said nearly 90 percent of its United States stores have solar systems with a total generation goal of 40 megawatts. Ikea owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings, rather than having a lease or power purchase agreement. Globally, the company says it has allocated $1.8 billion to invest in renewable energy through 2015. Ikea has installed more than 700,000 solar panels on buildings across the world and owns approximately 157 wind turbines in Europe and Canada, with 104 more being built in the U.S.
Other sutainability efforts include: recycling waste material; incorporating energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, recycled construction materials, skylights in warehouse areas, water-conserving restrooms; elimination of plastic bags from the check-out process; the phase-out the sale of incandescent bulbs; and a goal of selling only LED bulbs by 2016. Ikea has a;sp installed EV charging stations at 13 stores.
Located on approximately 30 acres along Ford Road off I-275 at Haggerty Road, the 311,000-square-foot Ikea Canton opened in June 2006. In addition to 10,000 exclusively designed items, the store presents 52 different room settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a 350-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties, as well as American dishes. Other family-friendly features include a Children’s Ikea area in the Showroom, baby care rooms, play areas throughout the store, and preferred parking. Also, IKEA installed Michigan’s largest solar array atop the roof of the store in 2012.
Ikea was founded in 1943 in Sweden. There are currently more than 360 Ikea stores in 46 countries, including 40 in the U.S.
More at http://ikea-usa.com.