IKEA Powers-Up Solar Energy Panels at College Park, MD Store
COLLEGE PARK, Md., /CSRwire/ - IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its store in College Park, Maryland. The 148,200-square-foot PV array consists of a 1,196-kW system, built with 4,984 panels. IKEA College Park’s program will produce approximately 1,571,800 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 1,195 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 213 cars or powering 135 homes yearly (calculating clean energy equivalents at www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html).
This investment by IKEA reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to sustainability and confidence in photovoltaic (PV) technology. 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 this College Park installation represents the 15th completed solar energy project for IKEA in the United States, with 22 more locations underway, making the eventual U.S. solar presence of IKEA nearly 85% and a total generation of 30.8 MW.
For the development, design and installation of the College Park store’s customized solar power system, IKEA contracted with REC Solar, one of the largest U.S. solar electric installers with more than 8,000 systems built nationwide.
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