IKEA has announced that its future Norfolk, Va., store will be equipped with solar panels and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations when it opens this spring.
IKEA Norfolk will feature a 180,000-square-foot solar array, which will consist of a 1.26 MW system built with 3,654 panels, producing approximately 1.74 million kWh of electricity annually for the store. For the development, design and installation of the system, IKEA selected REC Solar.
In addition, the store will have three Blink EV charging stations. There are currently Blink EV charging units at 34 IKEA stores in the U.S.
Lisa Davis, sustainability manager for IKEA U.S, says, “At IKEA, we want to have a positive impact on people and the planet, and these investments support our objectives to reduce our emissions and achieve energy independence by 2020.”
This installation will represent the 56th solar project for IKEA in the U.S. and contribute to the company’s solar presence atop nearly 90% of its U.S. locations, with a total generation of more than 56 MW.
IKEA owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings – as opposed to a solar lease or power purchase agreement – and globally has allocated $2.5 billion to invest in renewable energy through 2020. Consistent with its goal of being energy-independent by 2020, IKEA has installed more than 750,000 solar panels on buildings across the world and owns approximately 441 wind turbines, including 104 in the U.S.
The 331,000-square-foot IKEA Norfolk store will be built on 19 acres on the northwestern corner of Interstate 64 and Northampton Boulevard.
