Ikea Update: The Solar Roof Is Now Complete

While crews work to stock the Fishers location with Poang chairs, Billy bookcases, $2 beer glasses, and thousands of other items we’re pretty sure we’ll need, at least one store feature is already firmly in place: its solar roof, the largest rooftop of its kind on any retailer in Indiana. The 3,888 panels span 219,000 square feet. Combined, they’ll pump out about 1.7 million kilowatts each year, enough electricity to power 182 homes and offset CO2 emissions from 260 cars.
The solar roof is one step toward Ikea’s push of being energy independent by 2020 and reducing environmental impact by, among other things: recycling waste materials, installing bathrooms that conserve water, using energy-efficient HVAC systems, offering car-charging stations (Fishers will have three), and selling only LED bulbs. The sustainability effort extends to the restaurant, too, where, once you polish off your Swedish meatballs, you’ll be able to separate your trash from your recyclables.