Swedish furniture retailer Ikea is now generating electricity atop its store in Bloomington near the Mall of America.
The 142,000 square foot, 1,014 kW system, was built with 4,316 panels and will produce approximately 1.2 million kWh of clean power annually – the equivalent of reducing 801 tons of carbon dioxide. IKEA worked with Xcel Energy and SoCore Energy for the development, design and installation of the customized solar power system.
The 1-megawatt system is the largest solar array in Minnesota. It generates the equivalent of the power needed by 100 homes, or roughly the output of one small wind turbine.
The Bloomington store marks the 31st U.S. solar project for Ikea, with eight more locations in development. The company said it has invested $590 million in renewable energy projects around the world.