Ikea is going green with the installation of solar power systems at key Southeast Asia stores. The latest system will be set up at the Swedish retailer’s Tampines store in Singapore, following its successful rollout in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
The 1 MWp solar system will generate 1.3 million kWh of energy annually and expected to save the furniture chain $2.4 million in energy costs over the next ten years, according to a press statement by Ikea Southeast Asia.
Ikea has already installed a similar system on the roof of its Cheras store in Kuala Lumpur and Megabangna store in Bangkok. The Megabangna store was the first large commercial enterprise to return electricity to the grid under a feed-in tariff solar rooftop program that the government instituted in 2014.
The projects are in association with Phoenix Solar, and future collaborations for Asia between the two companies are in the pipeline, the company added.
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“This project supports a core sustainability goal for our company: to generate and consume renewable energy,” said Christian Rojkjaer, managing director of Ikea Southeast Asia.
“When we can reduce climate impact while saving long-term operational costs, it’s an easy business decision. At the same time, we contribute in a meaningful way to the development of renewable energy in Southeast Asia.”
Ikea is pushing its sustainability across the globe. Last month, the company installed its fourth biogas-powered fuel cell in California. The most recent rollout was at its San Diego local. All four stores have solar arrays and will cumulatively generate 1.5 MW of energy.
In nearby Canada, Ikea tapped TransAlta and Teck Resources to buy a windfarm near Drumheller, Alberta. The farm can produce 88 MW of electricity.
Installation of the solar panels begins at Ikea Tampines in March and the project is expected to be completed in July.