IKEA to install record 990kW rooftop solar system at NSW store

Construction has commenced on what will be the largest single rooftop solar photovoltaic PV project in Australia, with the installation of a 990kWp system at the IKEA Tempe store in New South Wales.

The system, which is being installed by Kingspan Energy, will be the largest of IKEA’s Australian PV projects – comprising nearly 4,000 Yingli polycrystalline modules and 43 inverters from SMA Australia.

It will also be up there with the biggest rooftop solar systems in Australia, including the 1.2MW system at the University of Queensland, which spans four buildings and 11 rooftops, and the Goyder Pavillion in Adelaide, a 1MW system spread over several buildings.

062711_West_Sac_Solar_250x250
The rooftop solar system at IKEA West Sacramento in the US

The Swedish furniture giant announced in May its plans to install a combined total of 3.9MW of rooftop solar systems across all of its Australian east coast stores and warehouses, a project that will result in the nation’s largest commercial solar development so far.

All but the Tempe project – which will be the largest single installation – will be developed by Canadian Solar, using their own panels.

As part of IKEA’s company-wide sustainability plan, it has also pledged that all future stores built in Australia would have solar PV systems already installed.

Kingspan Energy says the Tempe project is scheduled to be complete in mid-September and will supply over 1,300,000 kWhrs of electricity to the building.

When commissioning is complete, the 8415 square metre project will displace over 1,500 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

Comments

6 responses to “IKEA to install record 990kW rooftop solar system at NSW store”

  1. Greg Avatar
    Greg

    An excellent example for all other companies in Australia with large warehouses to follow. Corporate responsibility can be real. Great work IKEA.

  2. Karl Avatar
    Karl

    Hope they know what they are doing! SMA STP20000TLEE has a narrow voltage window that only allows strings of 24 YL250P panels -Yingli have so far not sold any PID free modules in Australia (ie suitable for string voltages >600V). Thus if as per the article installation has commenced……they have got it wrong and it will break the panels shortly

    1. wideEyedPupil Avatar
      wideEyedPupil

      Hi Karl

      I have an unusual request. I don’t have Nearmap access outside capital city areas (via a friend) and I would like an image of a healthcare facility with a largish solarPV array installed. I know of at least two, Yarrawonga Hospital (Vic/NSW) and Harvey Bay Hospital (QLD). Also Echuca Hospital has the largest solar cooling system in AUS hospital. All the Nearmap images I could get (via Friend) were prior to 2011 so didn’t show anything.

      Apparently Google Earth Pro has the govt imagery loaded for QLD too but I don’t know anyone with access. This is for a Health Report on Energy and Health by 8 Healthcare Orgs like CAHA, PHA etc etc

      Contact me on qc.student.au {at} gmail.com Subject=”Solar Array” and I will set a rule to watch for you responce if any. Cheers.

      If anyone else out there has a camera or a satellite image I’d be very grateful.

  3. wideEyedPupil Avatar
    wideEyedPupil

    Well don’t tell City of Sydney. When I met them on behalf of BZE I suggested the rather than their super costly and disruptive “precinct gas” roll out of a third energy infrastructure by piping gas-heated water throughout the CBD that they put solar on shopping centres and other large roofs close to CBD and pull the electrons. When they wrote the brief for the solarPV plan it had Alan Jone’s special ‘GMO terminator gene’ clause that all solarPV had to be within the CBD b/c powerlines conduits from outside the CBD might be affected by weather events! As opposed to what happens today. And as opposed to trucking in bio-waste from 200km around which would have much higher values in a zero emissions economy that heating water to be piped around the city with attendant energy losses.

  4. Rob G Avatar
    Rob G

    Several of the big retailers in the US are already doing this – Wallmart, Apple, Target, Cosco to name a few. I wonder how long we’ll wait before the big supermarkets get on board. I suspect Coles will do it first and WW will follow to stay on par. If they had the smarts they might even see the financial gains solar could give their business, we are after all in a country blessed with endless sunshine. Nice to see iKEA leading the way, speaks volumes about them as a business.

  5. Masoud Avatar

    Great. That is what the roof are for. But how about nights? No sun, no free energy. It is time for Energy Storage. Magellan Power is the Aussie company that actually make this happen. Go to http://www.magellan-power.com.au/component/virtuemart/renewable-energy2012-06-06-07-05-521

Get up to 3 quotes from pre-vetted solar (and battery) installers.