Ikea Atlanta Goes Solar

July 22, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on July 23, 2012

Swedish home furnishings retail giant Ikea has plugged in the solar energy system at its store in Atlanta, Ga.

The 129,400-square-foot PV array consists of a 1,034.9-kW system, built with 4,312 panels. Ikea Atlanta's program will produce approximately 1,416,502 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 977 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 192 cars or powering 122 homes yearly.

This Atlanta installation represents the 23rd completed solar energy project for Ikea in the United States, with 16 more locations underway, making the eventual U.S. solar presence of Ikea nearly 89 percent with a total generation of 38 MW.

For the development, design and installation of the Atlanta store's customized solar power system, IKEA contracted with Gehrlicher Solar America Corp., part of Gehrlicher AG, one of the world's 10 largest independent PV project developers and system integrators.

"Our mission is to create a better everyday life for the many people, and at Ikea Atlanta, we just added to this effort," said Jim Anastos, Ikea Atlanta store manager. "A solar energy system will help reduce the store's carbon footprint and represents another investment toward our future in this community. We appreciate the continued support of the City of Atlanta, Georgia Power, and Gehrlicher Solar, our partners in this project."