by Shane Henson — June 20, 2012—In another demonstration of its commitment to use renewable energy to power its buildings, Sweden-based global furnishings provider IKEA Group has announced it will partner with Hanergy, one of China’s leading clean energy companies, to install solar photovoltaic panels on IKEA-owned buildings in China.
Once complete, the solar panels will provide both 10-15% of all electricity needed to run IKEA stores and 100% of the electricity needs of IKEA distribution centers in China, saving around 6,000 metric tonnes of CO2 each year, says the company. In addition to helping to power IKEA operations in China, the project is also being extended to the company’s suppliers in China. The solar panels will be manufactured and installed by Hanergy over the next three years.
This new project builds on the functional, affordable home furnishings manufacturer’s ongoing goal of reducing its energy costs to save money and making its environmental footprint smaller despite its massive size. Already, more than half of the energy needed to power IKEA buildings around the world comes from renewable sources—primarily solar and wind power. There are now reportedly over 250,000 solar panels on IKEA buildings, and the company owns and operates around 80 wind turbines.
With 287 stores currently in 26 countries, IKEA Group says it has allocated Euro 470 million to invest in renewable energy, including the solar project in China and other investments that will be installed over the next three years.
