IKEA and Clif Bar announced earlier this week that they are going solar.  IKEA plans to install solar panels at seven stores and a distribution center in California, and the Clif Bar Headquarters in Emeryville is soon going to be home to the largest smart solar installation in the state.

IKEA’s plans will generate 4.5 megawatts of power for the company, and cover 90% of the company’s properties in California.  At it’s distribution center in Tejon, 216,000 square feet of solar panels, 7,890 panels, will be installed, making it the second-largest single-roof commercial installation in the state.  The expected output from all the IKEA installations is 6.65 million kilowatt hours of electricity.

The system installed at the Clif Bar Headquarters includes smart technology that is expected to increase output 6 to 8 percent over standard photovoltaic systems.  The system will include over 1,900 panels.

The eight installations by IKEA are estimated to save 5,269 tons of CO2 each year, or the equivalent of keeping 856 cars off the road.  This is not IKEA’s first trip into renewable power.  Other solar projects include their properties in Brooklyn, NY, Pittsburgh, PA, and Tempe, AZ.  Solar water heating systems are being used in Charlotte, NC, Draper, UT, Orlando and Tampa, FL; and a geothermal system in a being built in Centennial, CO.

Logo courtesy of IKEA.