Solar panels are all the rage right now in looking for alternative energy sources. We’ve all heard President Obama raise the importance of expanding this technology domestically, and Governor Corzine has “demanded that 20% of New Jersey’s energy come from renewable sources by 2020.” Of course, though, our State’s myriad of environmental laws and regulations have gotten in the way of sound private industry.

New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Group considered installing a ground array at its new location being constructed on a 56-acre property in Hammonton. NJM spokesman Patrick Breslin said the array was sacrificed because of the impervious coverage issue.

“It was rejected pretty early in the process,” Breslin said, underscoring stringent zoning in the Pinelands region.

The story doesn’t elaborate if it was Pinelands, the Hammonton Planning Board, or the Hammonton Zoning Board that nixed the deal. It does seem, though, that technology and environmental regulations are clashing on what could have been a positive works project for Hammonton.