NJ candy factory flips switch on new solar array

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (AP) — Those green M&Ms really are getting greener.

A New Jersey candy factory that produces M&M's flipped the switch Monday on a new solar array that provides clean energy. Newark, N.J.-based Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. says the factory will use more solar power than any other in New Jersey.

The 18-acre facility in Hackettstown is one of the state's largest and can generate 2 megawatts of solar energy. That handles about one-fifth of the plant's needs and is enough power for roughly 1,800 homes.

McLean, Va.-based Mars Inc. provided the land next to its facility.

Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman, who ran the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under former President George W. Bush, called the project a blueprint for environmentally friendly business investment.