Solar, Generator and EV Charger in Holmdel, NJ | 14.26 kW Array, Client Since 2018

Holmdel, NJ · Client since March 2018

David from Holmdel, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since March of 2018. Three trades since, and every one of them hangs off a 150-amp service – which is the thread running through this whole page.

46 panels and 14.26 kW

Producing by 24 May 2018: 46 all-black Hanwha Q.PEAK DUO 310-watt modules on a SolarEdge inverter, 14.26 kW rated and estimated at 15,153 kilowatt hours in the first year, with eighty feet of critter guard closing the sheltered gap beneath the panels. The inverter is deliberately oversized against the array rather than trimmed to it. The roof needed nothing at all, which is about as easy as a solar install gets.

A 9 kW Generac on sixteen circuits

A Generac in an aluminum enclosure on its own pad, rated 8 kW on natural gas and 9 on propane, feeding a sixteen-circuit essential-circuits transfer switch in a NEMA-3R outdoor enclosure. Deliberately not a whole-house machine. What actually has to keep running at this address is a short list – two sump pumps and a refrigerator – and on a 150-amp service that restraint is not merely sensible, it is close to necessary.

A ChargePoint on a 60-amp circuit, and 144 of 150 amps

October of 2023. A ChargePoint Home Flex on a NEMA 6-50 outlet, on a dedicated 60-amp circuit at 11.5 kW – roughly 36 miles of range an hour. And here is the number that makes this house worth reading about: with the charger included, the calculated minimum service came to 144.66 amps against a 150-amp panel. Under five amps of margin. There is no version of that arithmetic anybody does by eye, and no room left for a fourth large load without upgrading the service first.

Everything on 150 amps

Fourteen kilowatts of solar, a standby generator and a fast car charger, all on a service that most houses of this size would have upgraded years ago. It works because each addition was measured against the same panel rather than assumed onto it. The array reduces what the service has to deliver on an ordinary day. The generator covers only what cannot be allowed to stop, which is why it is nine kilowatts and sixteen circuits rather than something four times the size. The charger fits inside what remains, with less than five amps to spare. That last figure is the useful one on this page: it is the difference between a house that has been designed and a house that has merely been added to, and it is only knowable because somebody did the calculation every single time.

Taking the leap into Solar can be intimidating and confusing. We reached out to Glen and a couple of other groups because we wanted to see if this made sense before the federal tax credit expires next year. Glen simplified everything for us. He has been doing this for a while and he has answers for all the common questions. Glen was very patient with us as we peppered him with questions (sometimes asking the same questions over again). After comparing quotes, Glen's numbers were reasonable and we decided to go with him because of the favorable reviews and the thoroughness with which he explained the process to us. From start to end the communication was excellent, we always knew where we were in the process (a lot of paperwork but they do it all for you). When it came time to do the installation, the crew came and finished everything in less than a day. They cleaned up after themselves and when they left the only remnants of their work were the panels on the roof. It was obvious this was not their first rodeo. Now on this sunny 90+ degree day with two air conditioners humming, I look at the meter outside and see my house if being fully powere by the sun... it is a great feeling! If you are considering solar, I highly recommend Green Sun. They are a class act and the engagement feels more like a partnership than a contractor relationship. Oh yeah, they also installed a gas generator for us and that process was equally professional and pleasurable.