Solar Panel Installation and Standby Generator Installation in Chesterfield, NJ | 15.18 kW and 22 kW

Chesterfield, NJ · Client since July 2024

Joe from Chesterfield, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since July of 2024. Both jobs were signed on the same day in July and both were finished within a week of each other in September.

A 22 kW standby generator

A Generac 7042-2 rated 22 kW on propane and 19.5 kW on natural gas, running on natural gas, on a 200-amp transfer switch, commissioned in September of 2024. The house is about 3,200 square feet and the switch carries the whole panel. The machine reports to remote monitoring between service visits.

15.18 kW of solar

Thirty-three REC 460-watt panels, finished in September of 2024, with first-year production estimated at 17,971 kWh. Four hundred and sixty watts a panel is at the top of what a residential module delivers, which is why fifteen kilowatts fits on thirty-three of them. The array is held by an S-5! clamp system, which grips the roof’s own seams rather than being bolted through them, and the job took in 200 feet of critter guard.

Why both at once

An array and a generator answer two different questions and neither answers the other. A grid-tied array shuts down the moment the grid does, so it contributes nothing during an outage; the generator runs only during one. Bought together they get commissioned knowing about each other, which is the part that is awkward to arrange after the fact.

Can't say enough nice things about Green Sun. They took care of every little detail, answered every silly question and arranged everything. Had a big solar array installed and a Generac. I got multiple quotes and whilst they weren't the lowest price they were very competitive. They offered better warrantees and a better quality product.

Questions from Chesterfield homeowners

SolarHow much does shade from mature Chesterfield trees affect production?

Shade can materially reduce production, particularly when it falls during the highest-production hours. Module-level electronics such as microinverters and optimizers reduce the effect of partial shading, but they cannot create sunlight where there is none. Significant shade should be modelled before any annual production figure is quoted.

Standby generatorHow far does a generator have to be from a window or door?

Manufacturer guidance requires substantial separation from operable windows, doors, vents and other openings through which exhaust could enter the house -- commonly five feet for the applicable air-cooled configurations. The exact model's current installation manual has to be checked before a location is approved.

SolarHow does an optimizer system differ from microinverters?

An optimizer system puts DC power optimizers at the modules and a single central inverter elsewhere; a microinverter system puts a small inverter at each module. Both can provide module-level monitoring and rapid shutdown when properly designed -- they are different architectures rather than one being the upgrade of the other.