A New Roof and 28 Panels in Freehold, NJ

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Roofing Installation, Solar Critter Guard and Solar Panel Installation in Freehold, NJ by Green Sun Energy Services.

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Freehold, NJ · Client since August 2020

Norman Chen has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since August of 2020, when the roof and the solar array were bought on the same day. The roof was replaced first and the panels went on after it, both in September of that year.

5,000 square feet, stripped to the deck

A single layer of old shingles came off down to the sheathing and left with the dumpster. Deck protection went over the exposed sheathing, then a GAF Timberline HDZ system carrying a 50-year warranty, aluminum drip edge along 395 feet of rakes, eaves and valleys, and a ridge vent along the peak.

28 panels and 9.52 kW

Twenty-eight Hanwha Q.PEAK DUO G6 panels at 340 watts each came to 9.52 kW on Unirac mounting, running into a SolarEdge SE7600H Energy Hub inverter with an optimizer on every panel. JCP&L is the utility and the first year was designed for about 12,919 kWh — close to 1,360 kWh for every kilowatt installed, which is a well-oriented and largely unshaded roof.

Why the array does not fill the roof

Five thousand square feet would hold a great deal more than twenty-eight panels. It was not filled, and that is the correct outcome rather than a missed opportunity. An array is sized to what a household actually uses over a year, not to what the roof will physically accept. Building beyond that means generating electricity that leaves the property, on equipment that still has to be maintained and eventually replaced. The roof is a constraint on how large an array can be; it is not an argument for how large it should be.

An Energy Hub inverter, and what it leaves open

The inverter is the Energy Hub version rather than the plain one. Nothing about the system today depends on that. What it means is that if this household ever adds a battery, the inverter it already owns is the one that runs it, rather than being the first thing that has to come out. It is settled once, at installation, and cannot be revisited later without replacing hardware that is otherwise working perfectly well.

Why the roof went first

An array is bolted to a roof for twenty-five years and more, so shingles at the end of their life underneath one become a second job with a date already on them — panels off, roof on, panels back. Doing the roof first put these twenty-eight panels onto a deck that had been stripped, seen and covered properly, with a 50-year system beneath them.

...i have always been interested in renewable energy, but delayed going solar for many reasons...looking back, my concerns had no real merit…converting to solar makes total sense, especially in new jersey, but didn’t realize that until I did my research...being that i lacked the technical, financial and logistical knowledge regarding the solar business, finding a knowledgeable and reputable solar company was my top priority...i wanted to work with a solar company that had time to answer all my questions and a company that was rooted in the state/community where i lived...i figured and was correct, that the permit process would be much easier with working with a local NJ solar company…after scouring the regular sites that host reviews, i stumbled across highly rated, Green Sun Energy Services (GSES)...Upon reaching out to GSES, Glen Koedding immediately contacted me...after an initial exchange of concerns, thoughts and expectations, Glen was able to map out an outline that was not only affordable, but a plan that would enable me to mitigate obsolescence and optimize new and emerging technology…once I was finally convinced that solar power was not only environmentally desirable but it would eventually save me a significant amount of money, I asked Glen from GSES, “what’s the catch?”…being extra cautious on a major acquisition, I must have asked this question to Glen, perhaps a dozen times, up to and after signing the contract agreement…Glen would say, “there is no catch”…being the ultimate cynic, I would always have a little doubt…here I am 8 months later and happy to report, “there is no catch”…the installation went smoothly, federal tax credits, NJ incentives are either received or in place and my utility bill is now pennies on the dollar…Glen is super “user friendly” and has not only answered every question I had, he helped me choose the solar equipment that met my current and future needs…I would recommend Green Sun Energy Systems to anyone considering converting to solar energy…