Six Flags Great Adventure Announces Plans To Build 90-Acre Solar Farm
By Cleve Bryan
JACKSON TOWNSHIP, N.J., (CBS) -- The world's largest theme park with North America's fastest, tallest roller coaster is working on a new achievement – becoming the industries' greenest park.
This week Six Flags Great Adventure announced plans with KDC Solar to build one of New Jersey's biggest solar farms.
"It really is a facility which is going to be one of a kind in the state of New Jersey and one of a kind in the theme park industry which we're pretty excited about," says park president John Fitzgerald.
The solar facility will produce 21.9 megawatts which is enough to power about 3,500 homes.
Great Adventure's property includes about 2,200 wooded acres and the solar farm will sit on about 90 acres near the safari park.
They'll cut down 18,000 trees, but plan to plant 26,000 over the next several years.
"We have a forester who works for us non-stop making sure that the trees are in good shape and making sure we take care of the environment," says Fitzgerald.
The solar facility will supply about 98 percent of the park's annual power needs.
Construction begins this spring and the solar farm will be ready by late 2016.
