Ikea installs 1,260 solar panels to help power Burbank store

The sun beating down on Ikea’s six-acre Burbank store is now producing energy to power store operations and ease the burden on Burbank Water and Power.

This week, the Swedish furniture retailer completed the installation of 1,260 solar panels covering 35,000 square feet on the roof of its San Fernando Boulevard store. The solar array will produce as much as 421,000 kilowatts a year, said store spokeswoman Mary Ann Barroso, enough to power 37 homes for a year.

Ikea’s array is the third largest in the city, after those at Costco and Warner Bros.

“The power is being produced at a time when the demand is highest,” said Jeanette Meyer, marketing manager for Burbank Water and Power.

Read the full story here.

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-- Bill Kisliuk

Photo: Joseph Roth, the director of U.S. public affairs for Ikea, talks about the 1,260 solar panels that were installed on the roof of Ikea Burbank on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. Credit: Tim Berger / Burbank Leader

Comments

[antoine]

"The solar array will produce as much as 421,000 kilowatts a year"
Another one that can't make the difference between energy and power units.
Solar is good for solar panel makers, not for the environment.

[JimBob]

Hey, Ikea. Be sure to keep those panels clean.

[TrueFreedom]

Excellent! All that rooftop space is the best place for solar, as opposed to putting them in solar farms over land. In addition to power, the panels provide shade to the rooftop, reducing the building's cooling costs.

@Antione: good catch on the units terminology. They probably should have specified kilowatt hours, or maybe peak power creation in kW

[woof-woof]

From the linked, full story:
"The solar array will produce as much as 421,000 kilowatt-hours a year, said store spokeswoman Mary Ann Barroso, enough to power 37 homes for a year."