Ikea's 1.25 million-square-foot distribution center in Joliet, Ill., will be completed in spring of 2018.

Ikea said it will build the largest solar array in Illinois atop its 1.25 million-square-foot distribution center under construction here.

The U.S. arm of the Swedish home furnishings giant said the facility’s 470,545-square-foot array will have 8,966 panels and produce about 3.4 million kilowatts of electricity annually. That’s equal to cutting 2,398 tons of carbon dioxide, which, in turn, equal the emissions of 506 cars or enough electricity to power 354 homes yearly, the company said.

Work on the solar array will begin in the spring with completion expected next fall. Combined with arrays atop the retailer’s Chicago-area stores in Bolingbrook and Schaumburg, Ill., the third project will make Ikea the owner of three of the state’s largest solar rooftop installations, the company said. Ikea also owns a 49-turbine wind farm in Hoopeston, Ill.

“Installing Illinois’ largest rooftop array advances our vision of creating a better everyday life for the many,” Lars Peterson, Ikea U.S. president, said in a release.

The installation is Ikea’s 45th solar project in the United States, contributing to solar on nearly 90% of its U.S. locations and generating more than 40 megawatts of power. Globally, the company has said it’s investing $2.5 billion in renewable energy through 2020. To date, it has installed more than 700,000 solar panels and owns about 300 wind turbines.

The Joliet distribution center, under construction on 72 acres at the Laraway Crossings Business Park, will give Ikea a central location for goods received at coastal ports coming from both Asia and Europe. Its proximity to a nearby railroad intermodal gives the retailer additional long-term transportation options, too, it said.

The Joliet facility is slated for completion in spring of 2018. Ikea is planning another similarly-sized facility on 62 acres adjacent to the current project but hasn’t determined the timing.

Ikea has more than 380 stores in 48 countries, including 42 in the United States.

(Source: Furniture Today)