Chocolate manufacturing plant powered by thin film CDTe solar garden

An 18 acre solar garden comprising of 28,000 ground mounted solar panels has been completed by PSEG Solar Source, adjacent to the Mars Chocolate North America Headquarters.

 

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.

 

2 MW of power during peak hours is provided by the solar garden, 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.

 

PSEG Solar Source owns the system located on Mars Chocolate North America's property. Mars has contracted for the entire output of the system.

 

Solar energy company, Juwi Solar located in Boulder, Colorado, who performed the engineering, procurement and construction services for the system, will also be providing the initial operation and maintenance services. Thin film panels were provided by First Solar.

 

Construction photos and fact sheets are available at www.pseg.com/solargarden 

 

"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."

 

PSEG Solar Source currently owns two other utility-scale solar projects - one in Florida and another in Ohio. Those projects, done with juwi solar Inc, total 27 MW and are expected to be completed by the end of next year. These assets are the first in a planned portfolio of solar facilities throughout the U.S. to be developed, owned and operated by PSEG Solar Source.

Mars Chocolate North America is the United States snack operations of Mars North America. With more than $7 billion in annual sales in the United States, Mars North America includes food, snack and pet care segments, which are a symbol of excellence for quality brands.

 

Headquartered in Mount Olive, N.J., Mars North America employs more than 12,000 associates in the United States, with 54 facilities nationwide.

 

Please visit www.mars.com .

Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) is a publicly traded diversified energy company with annual revenues of more than $13 billion, and three principal subsidiaries: PSEG Power, PSEG Energy Holdings, and Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G).

 

PSEG Energy Holdings has two main unregulated energy-related businesses: PSEG Global and PSEG Resources. PSEG Solar Source LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of PSEG, formed to develop, construct, own and operate large-scale solar facilities outside of the company's regulated service area.

 

Please visit www.pseg.com  for more information.