Richard from Plainsboro, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since October of 2015. The array was completed in January of 2016: 43 panels making 11.18 kW, each with its own Enphase microinverter, and an estimated 14,130 kilowatt hours in the first year. PSEG interconnected it in March. Forty-three panels for eleven kilowatts tells you exactly when this was built – a panel of that era produced around 260 watts where the same physical size now produces over 450, which is why a system of this output needed most of a roof in 2016 and needs half of one today. Ten years on, the microinverter design has meant that whatever has happened to any individual panel has stayed with that panel.
Project Facts
- Location
- Plainsboro, NJ
- Service
- Solar Panel Installation
- Client since
- October 2015
- Panels
- Hyundai Model # HIS-S260BK
- Panels
- 43
- System size
- 11.18 kW
- Inverter
- EnPhase M215-60-2LL-S22-IG Micro-Single
- Mounting system
- QuickMount
- Estimated first-year production
- 14,130 kWh
- Electric utility
- PSE&G
Solar questions from Plainsboro homeowners
What is net metering?
It lets an eligible New Jersey solar customer receive kWh credit for eligible excess solar electricity exported to the grid, up to the amount consumed over the applicable annualised period. The utility meter tracks energy delivered to the property and energy received from it.
Does solar work well in Plainsboro?
Yes. New Jersey receives more than enough annual sunlight for residential photovoltaic systems to produce substantial electricity. Panels run on light rather than heat, so they keep producing through the winter. What varies from house to house is roof orientation, pitch, shading, system size, equipment and local weather.
Are panels designed for New Jersey snow loads?
Yes. Rooftop installations must account for the applicable structural and environmental loads, snow among them, and the code specifically requires the roof and the photovoltaic system to support the applicable gravity and snow loads.