Carl in Parlin has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since October of 2019. Neither the generator nor the solar array on this property was installed by us, and both are now looked after by us, which is the whole point of this page.
200 feet of guard around the array
In January 2024 we fitted 200 feet of black PVC-coated critter guard around the existing array, on six-inch posts.
The problem it solves is squirrels, and it is worse than most homeowners expect. The gap between a roof-mounted panel and the shingles beneath it is a dry, sheltered, predator-free cavity that happens to be exactly the right height for a nesting squirrel. Once they are established they chew — on the DC wiring between panels, on the optimizer or microinverter leads, and on the roof itself. Damage is usually discovered as a production drop rather than as an animal, which means it has been going on for a while by the time anyone looks.
Guard is a mesh skirt clipped around the perimeter of the array so nothing can get underneath it. It has to follow the array’s actual outline rather than a rectangle drawn around it, which is why the figure here is 200 feet of edge on an array that would fit in a fraction of that as a footprint.
An 8 kW machine on a Silver plan
The standby generator is a Generac 8 kW from the 5000 series, model 5870, installed by another company. Its servicing came to us in October 2019 on a PowerBase Silver plan, and it was last serviced on 20 October 2025.
Eight kilowatts is a small machine by the standards of most pages on this site, and there is nothing wrong with that. A generator sized to essential circuits keeps the heating running, the refrigerator cold and the sump pump working, which is the part of an outage that actually causes damage.
Neither of these was ours to begin with
There is a gap in this trade that nobody advertises. Solar companies sell arrays and move on; generator dealers sell machines and move on; and the household is left with two pieces of equipment on a twenty-year horizon and nobody with a reason to look at either of them again.
Critter guard on somebody else’s array and a service plan on somebody else’s generator are the same job, really. The equipment does not care who sold it. It only cares whether anyone is still paying attention to it.
Why Parlin homeowners choose Green Sun Energy Services
More than solar panels: a professionally managed energy system, from design and permitting through installation, inspection, activation and ongoing support.
We keep your generator ready before the power goes out.
What makes Green Sun Energy Services different
- Solar: design and installation supervised by a NABCEP-certified professional (#PVA-111016-016148). On this home: a solar array and 200 ft of critter guard.
- Standby generators: installed and serviced as a Generac Authorized Sales and Service Dealer, by factory-authorized Generac technicians. On this home: a standby generator serviced by Green Sun Energy Services.
- Local: locally owned and operated in New Jersey since 2010, NJHIC licensed (#13VH06229000), with 48 completed solar projects and 56 completed generator service projects across Middlesex County and 361 solar projects and 936 generator service projects throughout New Jersey.
Our work in Parlin
Green Sun Energy Services has completed 2 featured solar projects and 5 generator service customers in Parlin. Parlin, a community in Sayreville and Old Bridge Township, is served by JCP&L.
Generate electricity on your roof and use it to help power your vehicle.
Thinking about solar, generator service, or both for your Parlin home? Tell us about your project here or call 732-410-7818.
Power it. Protect it. Maintain it.
Project Facts
- Location
- Parlin, NJ
- Services
- Solar Critter Guard, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- October 2019
Solar
- Critter guard fitted
- 200 ft
Standby generator
- Manufacturer & model
- Generac 5870
- Rated output
- 8 kW LP / 7 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Questions from Parlin homeowners
Standby generatorDoes a permanently installed generator need a disconnect?
Yes. Permanently installed generators fall under the disconnecting-means requirements of the National Electrical Code's generator article, and the equipment and electrical design have to satisfy those requirements alongside the machine's own listing and instructions.
Standby generatorCan a generator be installed in a flood zone in Parlin?
Yes, but the generator and its electrical equipment may need to be elevated or otherwise protected. The installation is evaluated against the property's FEMA flood zone, its Base Flood Elevation and Design Flood Elevation, the municipal flood ordinance, any applicable freeboard, and NJDEP requirements where they apply. It is a property-by-property assessment rather than a rule of thumb.
Standby generatorWhat does a standby generator sit on?
A stable, level support system allowed by the model's installation instructions. Depending on the machine and the site that can be an approved composite base, a prepared aggregate base, a concrete pad, or an engineered elevated platform.
SolarWhat happens to production in winter?
Panels keep producing, but shorter days normally mean lower monthly output than spring and summer. Cold modules actually operate efficiently; what reduces winter production is day length, sun angle, cloud, snow cover and shading. A properly designed system models production across the whole year rather than a good month.
SolarCan New Jersey change its net-metering rules?
Yes. Energy statutes, Board of Public Utilities regulations and utility tariffs can all change. A proposal should describe the rules as they currently stand rather than guarantee that they will hold for decades.