by Sami Grover,

I can’t keep up. First IKEA announces it’s expanding solar to 75% of US stores, and now Business Wire reports that number is growing to nearly 85%:

IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today announced plans to install solar energy panels on five more of its United States locations – all of them in the Midwestern U.S. Pending governmental permits, installation can begin this Winter, with completion expected in Summer 2012. Implementation of these projects will extend the IKEA solar presence to nearly 85% of its U.S. locations. Collectively, the five stores will total 4.8 megawatts (MW) of solar generating capacity, approximately 20,400 panels, and an annual output of 5.62 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity – the equivalent to reducing 4,273 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) – equal to eliminating the emissions of 760 cars or providing electricity for 484 homes yearly.

It should be noted that they are expanding electric car charging too, provide customers in Denmark with bike trailers to get their stuff home, and have even bought entire wind farms in the UK.

As I argued earlier today, big box stores aren’t the first thing you think of when it comes to resilient business, but IKEA’s focus on ownership of and access to clean energy suggests they are more aware of the dangers of energy depletion and price volatility than most.

(Source: www.treehugger.com )