by Ann Withanee — August 19, 2011—Toys”R”Us, Inc., has celebrated the completion of the 5.38 megawatt rooftop solar power system at the company’s largest distribution center in Flanders, New Jersey. The solar roof is estimated to offset 72 percent of the electrical needs for the Toys”R”Us facility, making it the largest operational rooftop solar installation in North America.
At the announcement of the event, Toys”R”Us, Inc. Chairman and CEO, Jerry Storch, said that Toys”R”Us Times Square, the company’s international flagship store, will also directly benefit from the Flanders Distribution Center solar installation. As part of the Power Purchase Agreement, Constellation Energy will designate 7,500 Green-e Certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) per year for the next three years to Toys”R”Us Times Square, effectively offsetting 100 percent of the 7,064,800 kilowatt-hours of electricity typically needed to power the store. Thus, Constellation Energy says that Toys”R”Us is also helping to support the operation and development of grid-connected renewable energy facilities.
“New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and I congratulate Toys”R”Us for its commitment to renewable energy,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin. “Through a variety of aggressive policies, including our Solar Renewable Energy Certificate Program, New Jersey has emerged as a national leader in the development of solar and wind energy—second only to California. The rooftop solar power system atop this Toys”R”Us distribution center will serve as a model for other businesses as the state moves toward a future that is less reliant on fossil fuels.”
The solar power installation covers nearly 70 percent of the distribution center’s 1,281,000-square-foot roof and consists of more than 37,000 ultra-lightweight UNI-SOLAR brand photovoltaic solar panels, manufactured by United Solar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices. Depending on weather conditions, the system is expected to produce approximately 6,362,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year. Constellation Energy built, owns and maintains the Toys”R”Us rooftop solar power system. Toys”R”Us is purchasing the electricity generated by the system from Constellation Energy through a 20-year power purchase agreement. Constellation Energy retains the solar renewable energy credits.
According to estimates provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, generating the same amount of electricity using non-renewable sources would result in the release of an estimated 4,387 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, which is equivalent to the carbon emissions from consuming 10,202 barrels of oil per year.
The facilities team at the distribution center in Flanders can expect to see the benefits of the reduced energy usage, and as corporations fast-forward toward more solar power and other renewable energy to generate energy for buildings, facilities managers and their operational and maintenance teams around the world have the opportunity to become an integral part of leading the way in this international trend.
