A New Jersey township's zoning board is scheduled to discuss Thursday evening whether solar panels can be installed on a 50-acre plot, according to published reports.

Farmland on Kuhl Road in Raritan Township is zoned for agricultural purposes but Garden Solar leased the land for other purposes, the Hunterdon County Democrat reports. The Raritan Township Zoning Board of Adjustment will review the application filed by Garden Solar.

"It is rare that an alternative use of land has this positive of an environmental impact and societal improvement," Garden Solar president Tim Ferguson told the publication.

If the solar panels ultimately are approved, the generated energy would be directed to electric companies in New Jersey, Ferguson said. Raritan Township engineer Fred Coppola wrote a letter to Garden Solar requesting that the property be outfitted with low lighting, if the project is approved. Township planner Jamie Sunyak wrote a letter to the company requesting sensitivity to a nearby residential area as outlined in the township's code for land development.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building.