Standby Generator, Solar and EV Charger Installation in Atlantic Highlands, NJ | A Charger

Atlantic Highlands, NJ · Client since February 2022

William and Corinne from Atlantic Highlands, NJ have been Green Sun Energy Services clients since February of 2022, and took on all three projects inside seven months.

A 19.5 kW Generac on a managed whole-house switch

Commissioned on 26 May 2022. The calculation asked for a minimum of 15 kW under NEC Article 220 Part IV and a Generac rated 19.5 kW on natural gas went in – 22 kW were it running on propane – behind a 200-amp managed whole-house transfer switch with two smart management modules and whole-house surge protection. The house is 3,096 square feet with two refrigerators, a dishwasher, a washer, a gas dryer and a sump pump. Two management modules on a house that was about to add an array and a car charger is what lets “whole-house” keep meaning whole house, rather than quietly becoming a list of circuits chosen in advance.

24 panels and 8.64 kW, on a one-year-old roof

Three weeks later: 24 Hanwha Q.PEAK DUO 360-watt modules, all-black, on a SolarEdge HD Wave inverter with an optimizer on every panel. Estimated at 10,479 kilowatt hours in the first year and interconnected by JCP&L in July. The roof needed nothing whatever – it was barely a year old. That is the easiest solar job there is: no tear-off to schedule, no reroof to work around, and no realistic prospect of the array ever having to come off to let a roofer underneath.

A customer-supplied ChargePoint on a 60-amp circuit

September of 2022. The household bought the charger and we installed it – hardwired, J1772, on a dedicated 60-amp breaker at 11.5 kW, roughly 36 miles of range an hour, with a management module of its own. Supplying your own hardware is sensible enough. What has to be right is the circuit and the calculation behind it, and by September that panel had been surveyed twice already.

Three things on one service, in seven months

The array, the charger and the generator answer three different questions from the same panel. The array lowers what the house draws day to day. The charger adds the largest single load most homes ever take on. The generator covers the nights when neither of the other two is any use, because a grid-tied array shuts down with the grid and a car charger is the first thing you would want to switch off anyway. Doing them within seven months meant each was specified knowing the other two were coming – the generator got its management modules before there was anything to manage, and the charger went onto a service whose picture was already complete.

Questions from Atlantic Highlands homeowners

SolarWhat should a Atlantic Highlands homeowner look for in a solar company?

One that can design, permit, interconnect, install, commission, monitor and service the system, and explain the structure accurately. That means twelve months of real usage, a realistic production model, correct kW and kWh arithmetic, orientation and shading, structural capacity, the rooftop code requirements, the electrical articles for photovoltaic systems and grid interconnection, rapid shutdown, manufacturer installation instructions, utility interconnection and net metering, incentive registration, roof age and condition, penetration and waterproofing detail, the panel, inverter, mounting and workmanship warranties, monitoring, and service after the installation. The question worth asking is not who quoted least, but which company has designed the best long-term system for the house and will still be able to support it years from now.

SolarCan the utility require upgrades before approving a system?

Yes. Some interconnections require utility-system modifications -- transformer capacity, voltage, protection equipment, secondary conductors, service equipment or other distribution work. Who bears the cost depends on the applicable interconnection rules and the utility's determination.

EV chargingWhat is a home EV charger?

A home EV charger, properly called electric vehicle supply equipment, delivers electricity from the house's electrical system to the charger built into the car. For most homeowners that means a dedicated 240-volt Level 2 unit, which charges considerably faster than a standard 120-volt outlet.

Standby generatorDoes a 200-amp service need a 200-amp transfer switch?

A transfer switch installed in the service path has to be rated appropriately for the service and the configuration. A 200-amp service commonly uses a 200-amp service-rated switch, but the actual design is confirmed by the electrician rather than assumed from the service size.