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Posted by
Olog-hai
on Sat Mar 28 05:09:24 2015
fiogf49gjkf0d Asbury Park Press
Six Flags to cut down 18,000 trees to build NJ's largest solar farmShannon Mullen
10:49 p.m. EDT March 26, 2015Six Flags Great Adventure plans to clear more than 18,000 trees to build a 90-acre solar farm capable of meeting virtually all of the theme park's electrical needs.
At 21.9 megawatts, the facility would be the largest of its kind in New Jersey, generating enough energy to power about 3,100 homes.
The ambitious project, which Bedminster-based KDC Solar LLC will construct, operate and own, is aimed at making Great Adventure the largest self-powered theme park in the U.S.
"We are continually searching for new ways to operate more efficiently and enhance our role as good stewards of the environment," the park's president, John Fitzgerald, said in a prepared statement.
"Solar power will significantly reduce our reliance on harmful fossil fuels," he said.
The township's planning board approved the project March 2.
Township Councilman Kenneth Bressi described the project as a "win-win" for Six Flags and Jackson. The facility won't generate any extra traffic, and once the property is developed it will be taxed at a higher rate, he noted.
"God knows what their electric bill is, and what they're going to be saving annually," Bressi said. "They wouldn't be doing projects like this if they weren't going to around for a long while, so this is great for Great Adventure and for Jackson."
Six Flags and KDC Solar have pledged to replant 25,000 trees over a period of seven years. Most of the trees slated for removal are in "poor" or "very poor" condition, according to Six Flags spokeswoman Kristin Siebeneicher. A forester will oversee the replanting, she added.
The facility, located on a 134-acre site off Reed Road, east of the safari park, will take 16 to 18 months to construct. It is expected to be in operation sometime in the second half of 2016.
Overhead electrical lines will run from the solar farm site to a new substation along Route 537 and from there to the Hurricane Harbor water park.
On an annual basis, the solar facility will produce 98 percent of the theme park's current electric needs.
On cloudy days and at other times when the facility isn't generating enough electricity, the park will draw power from the electrical grid, explained Joseph Nimphius, a KDC Solar project manager.
Conversely, if the facility generates more power than the park needs, the surplus will go to the grid in exchange for a credit, he added.
KDC Solar recently began operating a similar, though much smaller, 6.3 megawatt, 26-acre solar farm that provides electricity for CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township.
The site chosen by Six Flags was the only location on the property large enough for a project of this scale, Siebeneicher said.
"The parking lot was not suitable due to issues with operations and safety, legal restrictions, future development plans and the size of the parking lot," she said in an email. The company would not disclose the project's cost.
David Beavers, a solar power expert with Environment New Jersey, a statewide environmental group, said he was "thrilled" about the project.
"This is going to be the biggest installation in New Jersey, which is going to be a huge step in the right direction," he said.
Currently, the state's largest solar farm is a 19.9-megawatt facility in Tinton Falls, Beavers said.
At 21.9 megawatts, the new facility would generate more generate solar power than the city of Newark, he added.
The destruction of so many trees is a valid concern, Beavers said, because of the critical role forests play in reducing air pollution and mitigating climate change. But parking lot-based solar farms are far more costly to construct because of the steel piers used, he said.
"Hearing that they are going to be replanting those trees, it definitely sounds like it's going to a worthwhile initiative," Beavers said.
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