Jan 31 2011
IKEA the global leader in retail home furnishings are planning to go solar in their Denver area Store, which is being constructed in Centennial in Colorado, and is all set to open by fall 2011. After acquiring permits from the governmental bodies the installation on the roof of the store would begin next month.
The designing, building and installation of the solar panels would be done by REC Solar, a US solar electric provider with more than 6000 systems to its credit. The 498 kW solar array would include 2,212 panels and generate around 740,000 kWh of electricity per year for the store. This initiative would add to the domestic utility’s renewable energy goals and also decrease the carbon footprint of the electrical grid.
IKEA has installed solar energy systems in its stores in various cities such as NY, Brooklyn, PA, Pittsburgh, AZ, Tempe, California and on the East Coast. Moreover the IKEA Centennial store would also implement a geothermal plant for meeting its heating and cooling needs. According to Doug Greenholz, Real Estate Manager of IKEA US, the company was delighted to further its sustainability obligations by installing solar panels on the store’s roof, which would decrease the energy expenses in the store, the carbon emissions and also improve lifestyle for many.
IKEA with a Swedish heritage and a reverence for nature considers that it would be and do good business while being environmentally friendly. IKEA tries to utilize all opportunities for conserving energy, flat pack goods for efficient distributing operations, maintains sustainable resources along with Global Forest Watch, add environmentally friendly products such as HVAC and lighting systems and innovative materials into product design in its stores globally. Other initiatives such as using recycled construction materials, recycling waste material, including skylights in warehouses, and building restrooms with water conserving facilities are also used by the company.
The IKEA Centennial is to be constructed on 13.5 acres with a dimension of 415,000 square foot and would showcase three model home interiors, a supervised play area for children, 10000 exclusive designer items, 50 room settings and a restaurant, which could seat 500 guests. It would also have a preferred parking, a children’s IKEA area, play areas all over the store and baby care rooms. IKEA has more than 300 stores in 38 countries and has been operating since 1943.