Solar, Roofing and Standby Generator Installation in Manasquan, NJ | Three Projects Inside Six Weeks

Manasquan, NJ · Client since October 2014

Robert and Sharon from Manasquan, NJ have been Green Sun Energy Services clients since October of 2014, and took on three projects inside six weeks the following spring – roof, generator and array, in that order.

A new roof in oyster gray

Finished on 18 March 2015: a single layer of shingles stripped to the sheathing and carted away rather than roofed over, then new composition shingle in oyster gray, warranted fifty years. The survey done for the array is what turned the roof into the first job rather than a later one: it found the existing roof due for replacement, and there is no sense laying panels over shingles that are on their way out.

A 16 kW Generac, and two well pumps

Commissioned on 31 March. The calculation asked for a minimum of 12 kW under NEC Article 220 Part IV and a 16 kW machine in a steel enclosure went in, behind a 200-amp managed whole-house transfer switch. The house is 1,731 square feet, which is small for a generator this size, and the reason sits in the load survey: two half-horsepower well pumps, alongside two refrigerators, a dishwasher, a washer and a gas dryer. On a well, an outage does not only mean no lights – it means no water at all, no taps and no shower until the power is back. A pump is also a motor load that draws a surge of current every time it starts, and two of them on one machine is what pushes the sizing up past what the square footage alone would suggest.

25 panels across four roof faces

April of 2015: 25 LG 300-watt modules at 7.5 kW, each with its own Enphase microinverter, rail-free, spread across four separate roof faces at 3.9, 2.1, 0.9 and 0.6 kW. Four orientations is exactly the case microinverters are made for, because each panel converts on its own – the two small faces contribute whatever they can without holding back the large one. Estimated at 8,296 kilowatt hours in the first year and interconnected by JCP&L in May. The array is leased rather than owned.

Why all three, and why in that order

The roof went first because panels are fastened to the roofing system beneath them, and an array laid over shingles that are due for replacement is a bill to remove and refit the array, deferred rather than avoided. The generator answers a different question from the array, and people regularly assume it does not: a grid-tied system shuts down when the grid does, so on the night the power fails the panels contribute nothing at all. In a house on a well, that is the night the water stops. Roof, then panels, then the machine that runs when neither the grid nor the array will – six weeks, one contractor, and nothing that has to be taken apart later to get at what is underneath it.

"Glen and his staff did an outstanding job with the installation of the solar panels. I was informed on a regular basis as to the progress that was being made for the permits and work that had to be done once approvals were granted. The teams that installed the roof and generator also did an excellent job. This is a company that truly cares about their customers."- Robert from Manasquan, NJ. Review Source: Angie's List

Questions from Manasquan homeowners

SolarWhat is hosting capacity, and can it affect a Manasquan property?

Hosting capacity is how much distributed generation a part of the grid can take without affecting safety or reliability. A neighborhood with a lot of existing solar can face interconnection limits even where the individual property is ideal for it -- which is why the utility review is not a formality.

Standby generatorCan a fence be put around the generator?

Potentially, but a fence cannot encroach on the required airflow, exhaust and service clearances. A removable screening panel suits some installations, though technicians still need room to open the machine and work on it safely. Local zoning may separately require or regulate screening.

RoofingShould I remove items from attic shelves during a roof replacement?

Fragile items should be protected, because vibration from tear-off and fastening can disturb dust or loosely stored objects. Items hanging on walls immediately below the roof may also be worth securing.

Standby generatorDoes a generator need a concrete pad?

Not universally. Approved alternative support systems are permitted for applicable models. Concrete or an engineered platform may still be required because of the site conditions, flood requirements, anchoring, municipal requirements or structural design -- but it is not automatic.