Labor Tribune: IKEA’s solar rooftop – the largest in Missouri – installed by women-owned, union contractor
The new IKEA store at I-64 at Vandeventer Ave. boasts the largest solar panel rooftop in the state, and a women-owned, IBEW Local 1 contractor was at the helm of the project.
Aschinger Electric, of Fenton, installed the retailer’s 259,000-square-foot solar array, which is comprised of a 1.28-megawatt system built with more than 4,000 panels. It will produce about 1,780,000 kWh of electricity annually for the store located in St. Louis’ Cortex Innovation District.
Aschinger is a fourth-generation, family-owned electrical contractor that has been in business for 75 years, said Emily Martin, Aschinger’s president. The company got the call about the project last spring and began work in June.
“We’re excited to be a part of IKEA and its brand name,” Martin said. “Everyone can see it when they pass by on Interstate 64. We’ve done many solar panel jobs in the past, but nothing of this size and scope.”
