Justin from Franklin Township, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since May of 2019. The contract was signed in the middle of May and the array was producing by the seventeenth of July — nine weeks from signature to switch-on. It is 22 all-black Hanwha Q.PEAK DUO 315-watt panels on a SolarEdge inverter, 6.93 kW rated and designed for about 7,466 kilowatt-hours a year. The panels went up with 136 feet of critter guard around them, which closes the sheltered gap underneath before birds or squirrels find it — far cheaper than clearing out a nest and repairing the wiring afterwards. Franklin Township is in Somerset County.
Project Facts
- Location
- Franklin Township, NJ
- Services
- Solar Critter Guard, Solar Panel Installation
- Client since
- May 2019
- Panels
- Hanwha Model # Q.PEAK DUO BLK-G5.1 315
- Panels
- 22
- System size
- 6.93 kW
- Inverter
- SolarEdge SE5000H-US000NNC2
- Mounting system
- Ecolibrium Solar
- Estimated first-year production
- 7,466 kWh
- Electric utility
- PSE&G
- Critter guard fitted
- 136 ft
Solar questions from Franklin Township homeowners
Do solar panels lose output as they age?
Modules normally lose a small amount of maximum output over time. Manufacturers publish a long-term performance warranty setting out how much of the rated output should remain after a given number of years. It is worth comparing the actual warranty curve rather than the headline number of years.
Does Franklin Township 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.
Should the system cover 100 percent of annual usage?
Often that is an attractive target, but it is not automatically the best design. Roof area, shading, the financing structure, future electricity use, equipment size, utility limits and roof condition all bear on it. A 90 to 95 percent offset on an excellent roof can be a better system than one forced onto shaded surfaces to reach a round number.