28-panel 6.58 kW solar array in Farmingdale, NJ by Green Sun Energy Services.
Linda in Farmingdale has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since July of 2011, which puts this account in the company’s first year of trading. The array was commissioned that October and the standby generator followed in the spring of 2013.
28 panels, commissioned October 2011
Twenty-eight panels, 6.58 kW in total — 235 watts apiece, which is what a module produced in 2011 — with an Enphase M215 microinverter behind each one. Estimated first-year production is 7,976 kWh and the utility is JCP&L.
The mounting is a Zep system, which is worth a note because it is no longer sold. Zep did away with rails: the panel frame itself carried a groove that the hardware clipped into, so a Zep-compatible module bolted to the one beside it rather than to a rail beneath it. Fewer components, faster installation, and a design that depended on panel manufacturers continuing to make frames that fitted it. They stopped, and the system went with them.
That is not a criticism of the choice made in 2011. It is the reason the microinverters matter more than the mounting: the array on this roof has outlived the mounting standard it was built on, and it is still reporting panel by panel because the electronics were put on the panels rather than in a single box in the garage.
A 17 kW generator in 2013
The machine is a Generac 17 kW, model 6053-0, delivering 16 kW on natural gas, which is what this 1,400 square foot house runs on, behind a service-rated transfer switch. It was commissioned on 1 May 2013 and was last serviced on 18 August 2026.
Equipment that has to outlast the sale
Fifteen years is long enough for most of the assumptions behind an installation to have expired. The panel wattage on this roof is a third of what a modern module produces. The mounting system is discontinued. The company that made the microinverters has been through several product generations since.
None of that has stopped either system doing its job, and the reason is not that the equipment was exceptional. It is that somebody kept turning up. The generator was serviced ten days before this was written; the array has been monitored since the month it was switched on.
That is the part worth taking from a page like this one. When a household buys solar and standby power, they are not really buying panels and an engine — those are commodities, and better versions of both will exist within five years. What they are buying is the assumption that in 2041 there will still be somebody who knows what is on this roof, has the history of the machine beside the house, and answers the phone. Most of that is unprovable at the point of sale. This account is one of the few places it can actually be checked.
Project Facts
- Location
- Farmingdale, NJ
- Services
- Solar Panel Installation, Standby Generator Installation, Standby Generator Service
- Client since
- July 2011
Solar
- Panels
- Canadian Solar Model # CS6P-235PX
- Panels
- 28
- System size
- 6.58 kW
- Inverter
- EnPhase M215-60-2LL-S22/S23 Micro-Single
- Mounting system
- Zep Solar
- Estimated first-year production
- 7,976 kWh
- Electric utility
- JCP&L
Standby generator
- Manufacturer
- Generac Model # 6053-0
- Rated output
- 17 kW LP / 16 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 1,400 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 200 amp
- Transfer switch
- 200 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
Deciding to install solar electric to our home was an important decision. However, using Green Sun Energy Services was definitely the right decision. The team of installers were superior workers as well as courteous, professional and efficient. The job was completed in 1 1/2 days, and our electric meter immediately started spinning backwards. The management team of Chris and Glen were most knowledgeable and carefully explained the process and the equipment so that it was easy for the homeowner to understand. We highly recommend Green Sun Energy to get the job done. Do not hesitate to contact them. - Linda A., from Farmingdale, NJ | Solar Review Source: Angie's List
Green Sun Energy Services replied
Thank you, Linda. Solar is a decision people take seriously and should, which is why the installers matter as much as the equipment: they are on your roof and in your yard for days. A 6.58 kW array and a 17 kW standby generator at the same house in Farmingdale is two crews held to one standard.
Questions from Farmingdale homeowners
Standby generatorDoes a generator produce less on natural gas than on propane?
Some models do have a lower rated maximum output on natural gas than on propane -- a current 22 kW machine is rated 22 kW on LP and 21 kW on natural gas. Other models carry their own ratings, so the model-specific specification sheet is what settles it rather than a general rule.
SolarDoes Farmingdale decide whether the installation is code-compliant?
The municipal construction department reviews and inspects the work under the Uniform Construction Code, but the substantive electrical requirements come from the statewide Electrical Subcode rather than from local preference. Municipalities may also administer zoning requirements where those apply.
Standby generatorCan the existing natural-gas service in a Farmingdale home supply a generator?
Often yes, but the gas system has to be evaluated first. The review covers the generator's BTU demand, meter capacity, available pressure, regulator capacity, pipe diameter and length, and every other gas appliance in the house -- furnace, boiler, water heater, range and fireplace among them.