Home furnishings retailer, IKEA has powered its San Diego store with a photovoltaic panel system. The 252 kW solar system has about 1,120 panels spanning 30,000 sq ft. This system will annually generate about 366,400 kWh of electricity, which is equal to bringing down 290 t of CO2, removing emissions from 50 cars or powering 32 houses a year.
IKEA’s investment in buying Gloria Solar modules for the solar system and installing and operating it in the company’s San Diego shop will reduce the electrical grid’s carbon intensity. This will be the tenth solar project for the company in the US. Two other Californian stores and eight Eastern US stores of IKEA are currently installing solar energy systems.
IKEA had tied up with Gloria Solar for the design, development and deployment of the photovoltaic energy system. This solar project is the only installation by IKEA in the 4,100-sq mi SDG&E area. SDG&E is a regulated public body, which provides electric and natural gas service to about 3.5 million people across San Diego and many Southern Orange Counties.
Store manager at IKEA San Diego, Jim Tilley said that the company strives to enhance the sustainability of its daily operations, and the new solar system will help IKEA employees to contribute to this objective. Sustainable efforts by the company include recycling of wood, paper and plastic waste materials, constructing green buildings, which have energy-saving lighting and HVAC systems, recycling building materials, and water-saving restrooms; and operationally, recycling fluorescent lamps and gradually stopping sale of incandescent bulbs.
Source: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/