Continental has been awarded its latest solar project for the new IKEA distribution center in Joliet. When completed, there will be over 9,000 modules on the roof capable of harnessing nearly 2.9MW of power from the sun. Annual production is expected to be nearly 3.4 million kilowatt-hours of energy and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2,400 tons per year.
IKEA Joliet
This project kicked off in April and is scheduled to finish late fall. At its peak, over 20 skilled Continental electricians will be working on this installation. What is pictured (left) is only half of the footprint of the the solar project. The far North end will be an identically sized PV array.
When completed, this installation will be the largest roof-mounted array in Illinois and will push Continental’s installed capacity over the 10MW mark.
Among other installations completed by Continental are IKEA’s Bolingbrook and Schaumburg stores which, combined, total 1.75MW.
The Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) signed into law by Governor Rauner late in 2016 has spurred solar projects throughout the State. The law revamped Illinois’ Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and set annual goals for new wind and solar. The first hurdle included in the law is to have an additional 1,350MW of capacity installed by the end of 2020. Continental is helping to contribute to this goal in a big way!