IKEA is going SOLAR

Source: BrighterEnergy

IKEA is to become the latest retail giant in America to make more use of its vast area of unused roof space to generate its own renewable energy.

The Swedish furniture specialist has announced plans to install solar panels on eight of its stores in California.

Subject to permits being secured, it is expecting installation to begin later this fall, with 4.5 megawatts of generating capacity put in place by early 2011.

The buildings will represent nearly 90% of the company’s presence in California, hosting nearly 20,000 solar panels to produce about 6.65 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.

The project would produce enough power to supply 580 homes with clean energy, with the environmental benefits equivalent to taking 914 cars off the roads.

Solar systems will be installed at three stores in Northern California – at East Palo Alto, Emeryville and West Sacramento – along with four stores in Southern California – Burbank, Costa Mesa, Covina and San Diego.

IKEA’s 216,000 square foot distribution center in Tejon will also host a solar system that is set to be one of the 10 largest rooftop commercial solar systems in the US, the company said.

Sustainable

Mike Ward, IKEA US president, said the investment was being made to cut the company’s carbon footprint and promote renewable energy.

He said: “This approach is consistent with our commitment to sustainable building practices and we are thrilled that our evaluation determined these projects to be feasible for IKEA. We always are open to ideas for incorporating key environmental technologies and look forward to considering other opportunities as they arise.”

For seven of the stores, IKEA has contracted with Gloria Solar, a subsidiary of the E-Ton Solar Group. For the Tejon distribution center project, REC Solar will provide the solar system set to be the second largest single-roof installation in California.

Both solar companies have offices in California.

IKEA already has solar energy systems operating in Brooklyn, New York, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and in Tempe, Arizona.

IKEA To Adopt Geothermal System

From Nrel.gov:

It will take less energy and money to make the IKEA store opening next year in suburban Denver feel pleasant when the sun bakes or when the snow drifts, thanks to 130 holes dug into the Earth, where the temperature remains about 55 degrees all year round.

IKEA, the Swedish home furnishings retailer, has teamed with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory to showcase and study the advantages of a geothermal heating system currently under construction in Centennial, Colo.

It will be the first IKEA store in the United States to be built with geothermal heating and cooling, said Douglas Wolfe, IKEA project construction manager for the store expected to open south of Denver in the fall of 2011.

The holes, each 500 feet deep, will be directly below the parking garage that will be just below the store.

Geothermal heat pumps use 25 percent to 50 percent less electricity than conventional heating or cooling systems, a potential saving of several billion dollars a year if projections for geothermal growth prove true. The Environmental Protection Agency says geothermal heat pumps can reduce energy consumption—and corresponding emissions—up to 72 percent compared to traditional electric resistance heating and standard air-conditioning equipment. Geothermal cooling and heating also improves humidity control by maintaining about 50 percent relative indoor humidity, making GHPs very effective in humid areas.

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