Douglas from Scotch Plains, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since September of 2025. The array was completed in November: 21 panels making 9.24 kW, each with its own Enphase IQ8 microinverter, 160 feet of critter guard around the perimeter, and an estimated 10,838 kilowatt hours in the first year. PSEG interconnected it in January. Twenty-one panels producing over nine kilowatts works out to 440 watts each – a modern panel does roughly what two of them did a decade ago, which is why a system this size now fits on an ordinary suburban roof. The existing roof was sound enough to take the array as it stood.
Project Facts
- Location
- Scotch Plains, NJ
- Services
- Solar Critter Guard, Solar Panel Installation
- Client since
- September 2025
- Panels
- JA Solar Model # JAM54D41-440/MB
- Panels
- 21
- System size
- 9.24 kW
- Inverter
- EnPhase IQ8HC-72-M-US Micro-Single
- Mounting system
- Unirac
- Estimated first-year production
- 10,838 kWh
- Share of the home's electricity
- 100%
- Electric utility
- PSE&G
- Critter guard fitted
- 160 ft
Solar questions from Scotch Plains homeowners
What should a Scotch Plains 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.
What happens if one panel stops working?
It depends on the architecture and on the nature of the fault. With module-level electronics a problem affecting one panel or device can often be isolated without stopping the rest of the array, and monitoring is what identifies abnormal module-level performance before anyone notices it on a bill.
Who receives the certificates on a leased system?
That depends on the lease or power purchase agreement. Where solar is third-party owned, the system owner commonly retains the renewable-energy certificates and related incentives because it owns the generating equipment. The contract should say explicitly who owns the environmental attributes.