Recently, the IKEA in Tianjin’s Dongli became the world's first energy-friendly mall, with its photovoltaic power generation project having been put into use for nearly a year, meeting the estimated annual power consumption of about 5.16 million kilowatt-hours.
The solar photovoltaic panel of IKEA in Dongli district [Photo/WeChat account: tianjindongli]
17,288 square meters of solar photovoltaic panels were used to construct the parking lot of IKEA, with car parking space underneath and power generation equipment on the top. In addition to being used for the daily operation of the mall, the electric energy released by the photovoltaic panel also benefit the surrounding communities and residents, further supporting Dongli district to save energy and reduce its carbon emissions.
"Since the photovoltaic power generation project came into use, the mall is capable of generating 5.60 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, which is equivalent to reducing 4,200 tons of carbon emissions, and planting 233,000 trees," said Zhang Yuwei, market public relations manager of IKEA Tianjin.
The IKEA in Dongli district has continued to play a leading role in green development. Through its reclaimed water recovery system, waste water can be recycled and reused, saving an average of 6,800 tons of water resources each year, accounting for 60% of the annual water consumption of the mall; the waste recycling system can put cardboard, plastic and other waste back into the supply chain; the mall can also improve its energy efficiency by about 3% by automatically adjusting the air conditioning and lighting through the building's automated system.
The solar photovoltaic panel of IKEA in Dongli district [Photo/WeChat account: tianjindongli]
"Sustainable development is one of IKEA's core strategies. In the future, we will continue to innovate sustainable products that people can easily afford, and encourage residents to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, making our contribution to the development of Dongli district and Tianjin," Zhang added.