IKEA to build South Florida’s largest solar array

South Florida will soon get its largest solar array, 4,620 panels installed on the roof of a newIKEA store set to open in the Miami area next summer.

The array will keep the Swedish furnishings retailer — which also has solar panels on its stores in Sunrise, Tampa and Orlando — as the largest non-utility owner of solar energy in the Sunshine State.

IKEA said the 178,000-square-foot solar array will produce about 1.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity for the new store yearly, about the amount used by 169 homes annually. It will cut the equivalent of 1,227 tons of carbon dioxide emissions yearly, about the amount of 256 cars yearly.

“This array allows us to continue rolling out solar panels atop 90 percent of our U.S. locations,” said Mike Ward, IKEA U.S. president.  “IKEA is committed to creating a more sustainable life for communities where we operate, so we are proud of investing in four Florida solar projects.”

The eco-conscious chain aims to be energy independent by 2020. It already has installed more than 250,000 solar panels on buildings worldwide and owns about 110 wind turbines in Europe.