More than 7,000 solar panels will soon be installed at a business park in Massachusetts.

Officials at the New Bedford Business Park said that while the panels are soaking up the sun, they will also be providing clean energy. Power lines will connect the panels into a grid and they will be completely free of carbon dioxide.

The solar field will provide enough power for more than 2,000 homes and would be one of the largest of its kind in New England, according to Tom Davis, executive director of the Greater New Bedford Industrial Foundation.

"The U.S. is too dependent on very unstable sources of oil and gas from the Middle East, Nigeria and Venezuela," Davis said. "So this will reduce our dependence on overseas imports."

Construction on the panel farm will begin in the fall with the goal of having the project completed by the end of the year.