Mega Solar Panel Array Installed in Woodbridge

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — One of the largest furniture stores in the region says they now have the largest solar array in the state.

IKEA Furniture at Potomac Mills mall in Woodbridge installed a 63,000-square-foot photovoltaic array, or solar array, that will power the equivalent of 55 homes annually. More from the company’s unedited press release:

IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed atop its store in Woodbridge, Virginia – the state’s largest such photovoltaic array.

The 63,000-square-foot PV array consists of a 504- kW system, built with 2,100 panels. IKEA Woodbridge’s program will produce approximately 636,199 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 439 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 86 cars or powering 55 homes yearly (calculating clean energy equivalents at www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html).

This investment by IKEA reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to sustainability and confidence in photovoltaic (PV) technology. IKEA owns and operates eachof its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings – as opposed to a solar lease or PPA (power purchase agreement) – and this Woodbridge installation represents the 21st completed solar energy project for IKEA in the United States, with 18 more locations underway, making the eventual U.S. solar presence of IKEA nearly 89% with a total generation of 38 MW.