Eighty wind turbines could rise off the Jersey coast in the next few years, as the state tries to settle a divisive debate over offshore wind power.

The state's blue-ribbon wind panel recommended the turbines as a test case Tuesday, saying there's too little research to tell whether coastal wind's benefits outweigh the risks.

"New Jersey is facing a serious and growing energy crisis that must be addressed," the nine-member panel found. Wind "should be explored for inclusion as part of the solution."

The 16-page report gives no suggestions on where to place the turbines, saying only that they should be carefully monitored and generate no more than 350 megawatts enough energy to power about 50,000 homes.

Governor Corzine in a statement said he would review the proposal but had no further comment.

The state's first land-based "wind farm," which is being built in Atlantic City, is a joint effort by the Atlantic County Utilities Authority and a private developer. But despite growing interest from private wind developers, the state put its breezy ocean waters off- limits two years ago, in response to complaints from local residents and coastal advocates.

The moratorium has split environmental activists in New Jersey: Coastal groups worry massive wind farms could harm marine and bird life and drive away tourists; others say the state has to find alternatives to fossil-fuel power and the air pollution and global warming it produces.

"We think the outcome is a positive because we need to fill in that data gap," Jeff Tittel, director of the state Sierra Club, said Tuesday. "We see wind as having tremendous potential for a clean, renewable future."

If they follow the lead of past recommendations, the turbines would likely be built three to six miles offshore and stand 10 to 20 stories high, with 100-foot-long blades.

The wind panel said the test field should go forward only after an extensive survey of environmental conditions along the shore, energy needs and tourists' opinions of wind farms, so the state has a "baseline" to measure the effects of wind development. The panel gave few suggestions, however, on how the cash-strapped state should fund the studies or how long they might take.

In a separate minority report, panel member Tim Dillingham criticized the idea as "poorly supported and premature."

Because there's no guarantee the state will do the proper studies, a test field could do little more than open the door for wind developers, warned Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society. "Given the fiscal times facing the state, this is likely to render these recommendations meaningless," he wrote.

The panel report, nonetheless, said a trial run could be the only way to answer questions about how wind power would affect marine mammals, migratory birds and the fishing industry, among other factors.

There's too little research on existing offshore wind farms to reach conclusions, the panel said.

The report recommends that New Jersey partner with a private firm to build the turbines and then take three years to study their impact before deciding whether other wind projects should go forward.

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E-mail: nussbaum@northjersey.com