Sherjeel Yaqoob has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since June of 2019, when the roof and the solar array were bought on the same day. The roof was finished on 7 September 2019 and the array ten days later.
3,600 square feet, stripped to the deck
A single layer of old shingles came off down to the sheathing and left with the dumpster. Deck protection went over the exposed sheathing, then a GAF Timberline HDZ system carrying a 50-year warranty, aluminum drip edge along 316 feet of rakes, eaves and valleys, and a ridge vent along the peak.
36 panels and 11.34 kW
Thirty-six Hanwha Q.PEAK DUO panels at 315 watts each came to 11.34 kW on Ecolibrium Solar mounting, finished on 17 September 2019, running into a SolarEdge SE10000H inverter with an optimizer on every panel. PSE&G is the utility and the first year was designed for about 13,920 kWh, close to 1,230 kWh for every kilowatt installed.
Why all-black matters more on a large array
These are the black-backsheet modules: black frame, black background behind the cells, in place of the usual silver frame and white grid. On a twelve-panel array that is a detail. On thirty-six panels it is most of what anyone sees when they look at the house. A standard module reads as a grid of silver lines and white gaps; a black one reads as a dark rectangle, closer to the shingles it sits on. Neither produces more electricity than the other. The choice only exists at the moment of ordering, and on an array this size it settles the appearance of the roof for as long as the panels are on it — which is why it belongs in the same conversation as the shingles rather than after them.
Why the roof went first
An array is bolted to a roof for twenty-five years and more, so shingles at the end of their life underneath one become a second job with a date already on them — panels off, roof on, panels back. Thirty-six panels is a substantial job to schedule twice. Ten days of sequencing meant it never has to be scheduled at all, and the panels went down onto a deck that had been stripped, seen and covered properly.
Project Facts
- Location
- Franklin Park, NJ
- Services
- Roofing Installation, Solar Critter Guard, Solar Panel Installation
- Client since
- June 2019
Solar
- Panels
- Hanwha Model # Q.PEAK DUO BLK-G5.1 315
- Panels
- 36
- System size
- 11.34 kW
- Inverter
- SolarEdge SE10000H-US000NNC2
- Mounting system
- Ecolibrium Solar
- Estimated first-year production
- 13,920 kWh
- Share of the home's electricity
- 97%
- Electric utility
- PSE&G
- Critter guard fitted
- 157 ft
Roof
- System
- GAF Timberline Lifetime Roofing System
- Area replaced
- 3,600 sq ft
- Warranty
- 50 years
Questions from Franklin Park homeowners
SolarHow does an optimizer system differ from microinverters?
An optimizer system puts DC power optimizers at the modules and a single central inverter elsewhere; a microinverter system puts a small inverter at each module. Both can provide module-level monitoring and rapid shutdown when properly designed -- they are different architectures rather than one being the upgrade of the other.
RoofingShould skylights be replaced when the roof is replaced?
If an older skylight is nearing the end of its service life, roof replacement is often the most practical time to replace it, because the new skylight, its flashing and the roofing underlayment can then be integrated from the start. VELUX skylights are installed with manufacturer-specific flashing where skylight replacement is included.
RoofingHow important is attic ventilation in Franklin Park, NJ?
Very important. Balanced intake and exhaust ventilation can reduce heat buildup in summer, control moisture in winter, and help shingles perform as intended. A roofer should evaluate soffit intake, ridge or other exhaust vents, blocked bays, and the attic's overall air path.