SECAUCUS—Hartz Mountain Industries has begun producing power at its Hartz Solar Hamilton facility, an 8.5-megawatt ground-based solar array in Hamilton.

Completed in December of 2011, the first ground-based solar array by the developer is comprised of over 30,000 solar modules, making it one of the largest solar power systems delivering power in New Jersey.

The ground array is located in Hamilton Township near the intersection of the New Jersey Turnpike and I-195. The plot of land is 65 acres of land previous zoned for residential development, 34 of which is used for solar. This ground array, combined with an existing roof-top solar portfolio atop 13 buildings, brings Hartz’s total installed solar generating capacity to 17 MW.

Hartz Mountain contracted with Madison, WI-based RMT Inc. to design and construct the array. RMT is a provider engineering and construction services for renewable energy facilities.

The ground array project was financed by TD Bank.

The Hartz Solar Hamilton facility comes on line following its standard-setting memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce its carbon footprint. The ground solar array should allow Hartz Mountain to nearly double the greenhouse gas emissions savings it has already achieved.