The Meadowlands Commission is exploring how to power thousands of North Jersey homes and businesses with what could be the largest solar energy system in North America.

During the next two months, the commission will study the feasibility of constructing an array of solar panels that could generate 5 megawatts of electricity - or enough for 27,500 households in a year.

Technical experts will be looking at surfaces of more than 100,000 square feet - such as warehouse rooftops or remediated landfills - as potential sites to install solar panels.

"We may have the ability to turn acres of defunct landfills and warehouse and office roofs into places that could generate pooled sources of renewable energy for the Meadowlands District," said New Jersey Meadowlands Executive Director Robert Ceberio, in a news release.

Preliminary figures for the pilot project have been estimated at $30 million, but the Meadowlands Commission hopes to cut down the cost to $15 million with state rebates and grants, according to Chris Gale, a commission spokesman.

Solar energy eliminates the carbon emissions and air pollutants coal-powered electric plants produce, said Gale.

The commission will be working with the state Board of Public Utilities to also offer financial incentives, such as rebates and tax credits, to home and business owners who would utilize the solar energy.

After California, New Jersey is emerging as one of the most solar- friendly states in the country, according to Noah Kaye, policy and communications coordinator for the Solar Energy Industries Association, a national trade association. Currently, New Jersey has a solar energy capacity of 10 megawatts, compared with 130 megawatts in California. New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities has mandated that electrical suppliers steadily increase use of renewable energy sources, such as solar energy and wind power, to about 90 megawatts by 2009.

"New Jersey is one of the fastest-growing markets in the country, largely due to its policies regulating solar energy ... and in terms of making it easy for you to connect your solar system to the grid," said Kaye.

A 5-megawatt solar energy farm in the Meadowlands would surpass the capacity of the current largest system in the United States, a 4.6-megawatt solar farm run by the Tucson Electric Power Company in Springerville, Ariz.

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E-mail: faruque@northjersey.com