IKEA becomes largest solar owner in Texas

One of the world’s largest home furnishings retailer is reinforcing its commitment to sustainability with infrastructure upgrades at its Houston location.

The new solar energy system, combined with IKEA projects atop stores in Frisco and Round Rock, make the company the state’s largest solar owner.

IKEA Houston’s 116,400-square-foot PV array consists of an 813-kW system built with 3,388 panels. The program will produce approximately 1,152,464 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 795 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 156 cars or powering 99 homes yearly.

Instead of using a solar lease or power purchase agreement, IKEA operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings. Its Houston installation is the 19th solar energy project for IKEA in the United States, with 20 more under way.

Development, design and installation of the Houston store’s solar power system was contracted out to REC Solar, one of the largest U.S. solar electric installers with more than 8,000 systems built nationwide.

“At IKEA Houston, we constantly look for ways to practice and encourage eco-conscious behavior within the store and throughout the community,” said Kim Castillo, responsible for marketing for IKEA Houston, in a press release. “We appreciate the continued support of the city of Houston, CenterPoint Energy and REC Solar, our partners in this project.”

To kick off the project, the store hosted a Solar Panel Celebration July 12 with a dedication ceremony and educational workshops with Orange Show Center for Visionary Art.

Houston IKEA is at 7810 Katy Freeway.

For more information, visit www.ikea.com/us/en/store/houston.