IKEA is installing giant car ports topped with solar panels at its College Park location at 10100 Baltimore Ave.

The project is one of eight around the country that the Swedish company is building as part of massive effort to generate all of its own electricity by 2025, eventually becoming a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions company.

Designed by a subsidiary of General Electric, a similar solar car port project at IKEA’s Baltimore location led to an 84 percent drop in energy purchases over a three-month period last year.

Altogether, the eight projects will provide 10.7 gigawatt hours electricity each year – the equivalent to taking 1,644 cars off the road and planting over 125,000 new trees.

The car ports, which will be fully installed in July, are also nice for customers, since they provide shelter from the rain and the sun, which tends to bake large parking lots that then radiate heat back out.

With other large parking lots including at the University of Maryland and the Mall at Prince George’s, as well as other shopping centers, there are several places along the Route 1 corridor that would benefit from similar projects.

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