Michigan's largest solar power array is soaking up rays and generating power from the rooftop of the
IKEA in Canton.
The massive, 122,000-square-foot, 4,160-panel photovoltaic array was plugged in last week week and will produce about 1.1 million kilowatt hours of clean electricity.
IKEA's announcement of the project says it will reduce its carbon dioxide output by 769 tons and eliminate emissions equal to the annual output of 151 cars or 96 homes.
The completion of Canton's PV array, which is owned by IKEA rather than being leased, as is typical, is the 20th such project for Sweden-based IKEA in the U.S. Chicago-based
SoCore Energy, one of the largest commercial solar developers in the Midwest, oversaw the installation.
"We are thrilled at how this solar energy system furthers our commitment to sustainability at IKEA Canton,” Anton van Dongen, store manager, says in a statement. “IKEA has a never-ending job where most things remain to be done that encourages us always to ask ourselves how we can improve what we do today for a better tomorrow. We appreciate the support of the Canton Township, Detroit Edison and SoCore Energy, our partners in this project.”
Source: Amanda Preston, spokesperson, IKEA
Writer: Kim North Shine
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