Ikea Group breaks into the wind industry

Ikea Group has bought something it couldn’t find in its stores. And you’re not likely to find them either.

The Swedish retailer has bought a wind farm near downstate Hoopeston, the company’s first wind-energy investment in the Unites States and largest renewable-energy investment globally.

The company says the wind farm will help it meet a goal to generate as much renewable energy as it consumes by 2020.

“We are committed to renewable energy and to running our business in a way that minimizes our carbon emissions, not only because of the environmental impact, but also because it makes good financial sense,” chief financial officer Rob Olson said.

True to the consumer experience at Ikea, someone else is putting together the wind farm. Apex Clean Energy is in charge of the project, comprising 49 wind turbines. The farm is expected to be fully operational by mid-2015.

Overall, Ikea has committed to own 206 wind turbines worldwide. The company also has installed 550,000 solar panels on its buildings in nine countries. And Ikea

In the US, these investments include solar installations completed on 90% of IKEA locations across 20 states, with a total of 165,000 solar panels providing 38 MW installed capacity. In addition, Ikea integrated geothermal into the heating and cooling system of a store in Colorado and is working on another in the Kansas City area.