Toy “R” Us, one of America’s biggest retail toy chains, has revealed plans for the largest rooftop solar power installation in North America—covering nearly 20 acres, when complete.

The project is being executed by Michigan-based United Solar, which will affix more than 37,000 ultra lightweight UNI-SOLAR^® brand photovoltaic (PV) panels to the roof of the toy company’s distribution center in Flanders, New Jersey. Staging for the system is currently underway and construction will conclude in Q3 2011.

Upon completion, the 5.38 megawatt (MW) on-site solar power plant will occupy 869,294 square feet, nearly 70 percent of the 1,281,000-square-foot rooftop— and will fill roughly 72 percent of the electrical needs for the Toys R Usfacility.

Depending on weather conditions, the system is expected to produce about 6,362,000 kilowatt hours (kWh )of electricity annually. Toys “R” Us stated that generating the same amount of electricity using non-renewable sources would result in the release of an estimated 4,387 metric tons of CO₂—the equivalent of  emissions from 860 passenger vehicles.

“The unprecedented scope of this project furthers our already strong commitment to sustainability in our operations,” said Toys “R” Us CEO Jerry Storch, in a press release. “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.”

Constellation Energy, a supplier of power, natural gas, and energy products and services for U.S. homes and businesses, will build, own, and maintain the rooftop solar power system. Toys “R” Us will purchase the electricity generated by the system from Baltimore-based Constellation Energy, through a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

Toys “R” Us has been working closely with state and community authorities to bring the project to execution and to ensure that the solar power structure complies with the requirements set forth by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Highlands Council, and Mount Olive Township. 

Beyond the solar project in Flanders, Toys “R” Us is making a number of sustainable upgrades to its existing stores around the country, through incorporating renewable and energy efficient features into its new locations. In January 2010, a rooftop solar power system was installed at the Babies “R” Us in North Brunswick, New Jersey, through a partnership with the developer. This was the first Toys “R” Us store to use solar energy, which currently provides approximately 67 percent of the electricity for the location.

This spring, another rooftop solar system will be installed at the “R” Superstore in Secaucus, New Jersey, in partnership with Hartz Solar, a subsidiary of Secaucus-based Hartz Mountain Industries. That installation will generate an estimated 33 percent of the electricity needed  for the location.