Solar-powered Ikea Zwolle uses 30 percent less grid electricity

Over the past year the solar-powered Ikea store in Zwolle used 30 percent less grid energy than the average use in other Ikea stores, the store announced. The store aims to be completely energy neutral by 2020. When the Zwolle store was built, exactly a year ago this week, it was equipped with 5,500 solar panels, nine windmills on the roof and an advanced heat-cold storage system. The store also only uses led-lighting in the store and parking lot. The Ikea Zwolle solar panels generated 885 megawatts per hour over the past year, which means about 510 thousand kilograms of CO2 was not released into the environment. The heat-cold storage system also meant that Ikea Zwolle's gas usage was only 10 percent of the a similar Ikea store. The store is celebrating its first anniversary in Zwolle with its customers this week.