IKEA has announced plans to install solar panels atop its future Indianapolis-area store opening this fall in Fishers. Panel installation will begin later this spring, with completion expected this summer for what will be the largest retail solar rooftop in the State of Indiana.
The Fishers store's 219,000-square-foot solar array will consist of a 1.34 MW system, built with 3,888 panels, and will produce approximately 1,752,845 kWh of electricity annually for the store.
IKEA owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings – as opposed to a solar lease or PPA (power purchase agreement) – and globally has allocated $2.5 billion to invest in renewable energy through 2020, reinforcing its confidence and investment in solar photovoltaic technology.
Consistent with the goal of being energy independent by 2020, IKEA has installed more than 700,000 solar panels on buildings across the world and owns approximately 300 wind turbines, including 104 in the U.S.
The 289,000-square-foot future IKEA Fishers and its 1,000 parking spaces will be built on 35 acres along the eastern side of Interstate 69, just south of the E. 116th Street exit, approximately 15 miles northeast of downtown Indianapolis.