Distributed Solar Development built the Baltimore carport and will deliver the home furnishings giant’s other projects in Maryland and California.
In partnership with New York-based Distributed Solar Development (DSD), home furnishings retailer IKEA said it completed a 1.35 MW solar carport at its Baltimore location and plans to build seven more projects at other U.S. stores.
The solar carports will help IKEA move toward its goal of being powered by 100% renewable energy while also increasing energy efficiency by 2025.
DSD designed and built the Baltimore carport. Initial results indicate the location has seen an 84% decrease in its purchased energy requirement between September and December 2020, equating to a 57% cost savings for the store.
The Baltimore project is the first of eight projects totaling 7 MW that DSD will develop for IKEA stores in Maryland and California. The other arrays are on track to be done this year. In January, DSD closed on a $300 million debt facility financed by Credit Suisse and hinted it will have more deals to announce in the near future.
All totaled, the solar carports are expected to generate roughly 10.7 GWh a year. Five of the projects include energy storage systems with a collective capacity of about 5 MWh.
In the U.S., the company currently owns 104 wind turbines, two geothermal properties, 240,784 solar panels, and 143 electric vehicle charging stations across 51 properties.
In 2020, Ingka Group, a partner in the IKEA franchise system, committed more than $700 million into companies, solutions, and its own operations to move to a net-zero carbon economy. As part of that effort, Ingka Group invested in two solar parks totaling 403 MW of capacity in Utah and Texas.
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More articles from Joe Bebon
We love to see solar carports popping up across the US. There is so much unused space in parking lots, and huge swaths of heat-generating tarmac that is just sitting there. Solar carports are the perfect solution! Generate electricity, reduce heating, AND protect vehicles. Win, win, win!
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