IKEA plans to go 100% renewable in UK using wind and solar

16 August 2011, source edie newsroom

IKEA, the world's largest furniture retailer, has installed 39,000 solar panels on the rooftops of its UK stores as part of its goal to derive all of its energy from renewable sources.

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While the Swedish retailer has not set a deadline for using 100% renewable energy, it could reach 80% of its target by 2015.

According to Reuters, IKEA's chief sustainability officer, Steve Howard, expects up to 30% of its green energy will come from a recently purchased 12.3 MW wind farm in Huntly, Scotland.

IKEA has a total of 67 wind farms across Europe, including Denmark, France, and Germany, making the company's total wind power capacity 127 MW.

Howard was reported as saying: "The wind turbines in the UK are a first step, and we'll expand on that. This is a message to developers out there that we're looking for good projects in the right places, and we're keen to diversify in terms of the regions."

He added: "The direction of travel for us is 100% renewable. We're likely to hit 70 to 80% by 2015. We've built up sufficient experience in the area to be more confident in the timeline, so we will set a timeline in the next few months."

Maxine Perella