Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
Tags
Red, Yellow and Green M&Ms Spokescandies mingled with government officials and executives from Mars and PSEG on Monday at an event in Hackettstown celebrating the completion of a new solar garden. The project is the largest solar facility installed in New Jersey by a food manufacturing plant, and it is the first project completed by PSEG Solar Source, a subsidiary of PSEG.
The solar garden is comprised of more than 28,000 ground-mounted solar panels on 18 acres adjacent to Mars Chocolate North America's headquarters, where more than 1,200 associates work and M&Ms Brand Chocolate Candies are manufactured.
The solar garden provides 2 MW of power during peak hours, which is equivalent to approximately 20 percent of the plant's peak energy consumption. It will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,000 metric tons, equivalent to removing 190 vehicles from the road each year.
A long-term partnership between Mars Chocolate North America and PSEG Solar Source will ensure the solar garden's success."Sustainability is one of the most pressing concerns of our time. At Mars, we are aware of the scale of the challenge, and we are determined to be part of the solution," said Todd Lachman, president of Mars Chocolate North America.
"As we celebrate with our partner, PSEG Solar Source, the opening of the largest solar garden in the State of New Jersey by a food manufacturer, we also celebrate our commitment to the environment and the communities in which we conduct business. The solar garden strengthens our pledge to serve as an environmentally-friendly corporate citizen, reinforcing our commitment to the town of Hackettstown and the state of New Jersey."
The solar garden project supports aggressive energy goals put in place by the State of New Jersey. Its Energy Master Plan calls for 20 percent of the state's energy to come from renewable sources by the year 2020. The state has made significant inroads in the last few years, installing more than 100 MW of solar energy, making it second only to California in terms of the amount of solar capacity installed.
"We are pleased with the completion and initial performance of the solar system and with the partnership with Mars that got us here," said Diana Drysdale, who heads PSEG Solar Source. "Large scale solar facilities are essential for New Jersey to meet its aggressive solar mandate and this project proves that they can be a very real part of the state's energy mix."
– NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
