Farms.com Home   Ag Industry News

IKEA Canada Buys Industrial Wind Turbine Farm in Alberta

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer continues expand into the wind business.

The company said Nov. 14, that it has agreed to buy a 20-industrial wind turbine farm in southern Alberta from Mainstream Renewable Power Ltd. The 20-turbine project is expected to generate about 161 gigawatt-hours of power yearly.

In August, IKEA bought a wind farm in Ireland. The company plans to invest about     U.S$2.4 billion in wind and solar by 2015. The retailer pledged to own about 157 wind turbines worldwide and to continue installing solar panels. Currently, IKEA has more than 500,000 solar panels on its businesses in nine countries. IKEA said it strives to be energy independent by 2020.

The Alberta wind project is expected to be operational by fall of 2014. About 16 wind farms are connected to Alberta’s electrical grid.
 


Trending Video

Spring Planting Prep Just Got Serious… We NEED This!

Video: Spring Planting Prep Just Got Serious… We NEED This!

Getting closer to planting season means one thing… it’s time to get EVERYTHING ready.

Today didn’t go exactly as planned—we thought we’d be hauling potatoes again, but instead we spent the day digging equipment out of the cellar, hooking up the grain drill, and getting tractors ready to roll. With wheat planting just around the corner, every piece of equipment matters.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a normal day without a few problems… dead batteries, hydraulic issues, and a truck tire that absolutely refused to cooperate. We tried everything—jump packs, bead bazooka, ratchet straps… and eventually had to bring out the “big guns” just to get things moving again.

But that’s farm life—adapt, fix, and keep moving forward.

We’re getting close to go-time. Wheat seed is coming soon, and planting season is right around the corner