Toy retailer Toys R Us has announced plans to build what is believed to be the largest rooftop solar panel system in Noth America to create electricity for an existing distribution center in Flanders, NJ.

The solar panel system will be constructed for Toys R US by Baltimore-based Constellation Energy.

The company says the system will provide an estimated 72% of the electrical needs of the DC, which is equal to the amount of electricity used to power more than 500 homes.

The project will use a 37,000 solar panels, and will provide over 5.38 megawatts of power. Those panels will be sourced by Constellation from the United Solar division of Energy Conversion Devices Inc., and occupy an incredible 869,000 square feet of roof space. That will cover about 70% of the 1.2 million square feet of the DC.

The move that is expected to lower the facility’s carbon footprint by an estimated 4,569 tons annually.

Staging for the system is currently underway and construction will conclude this summer.

According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, the rooftop system at the New Jersey DC will become the largest at a single building in North America when complete, moving past the system currently being installed atop the Jersey Gardens mall, which will provide 4.8 megawatts of power. That system is being deployed by SunPower Corp.

Under terms of the deal, Constellation Energy will actually own and operate the system. Toys R Us in turn has agreed to a 20-year contract to purchase the power from Constellation Energy.

This arrangement obviously frees Toys R Us from needing to make a large capital investment to construct such a system, though perhaps at a price premium for the power versus if it had built the system directly. It will also not have to worry about system maintenance under this arrangement.

“The unprecedented scope of this project furthers our already strong commitment to sustainability in our operations,” said Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO of New Jersey-based Toys R Us. “New Jersey’s leadership in providing renewable, clean energy opportunities for companies has helped pave the way for an installation of this size and underscores the state as a champion for solar energy growth across North America.”

A Toys R Us statement said the state of the art solar panels being used can generate power even in "sub-optimal" sunlight situations. The company added it needed to coordinate extensively with New Jersey's Environmental Protection department to get the project off the ground.

The Toys R Us facility in Flanders is the largest of the company’s ten national distribution centers and covers over 1.5 million square feet of total space, including parking and other needs. The roof areA itself spans some 32 acres.

The company-owned fulfillment center opened in April, 1995 and was expanded in September 2001 to include an additional 500,000 square feet of operational space to support the company’s growing retail distribution needs. The facility supports replenishment and fulfillment needs for both the company's Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores throughout the northeast.

The company is already using rooftop solar power at some of its retail stores, and says it is looking at expanding solar usage at other stores and DCs as well as its corporate headquarters.

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