Matt from Freehold, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since May of 2014. The array is 8.5 kW – 34 Trina 250-watt panels on a Zep Solar mounting system – and it was finished in October of 2014. First-year production was estimated at 10,170 kWh. The array is leased rather than owned, on a fixed term. A leased system is maintained by the lease provider for the life of the agreement, which is the trade a household makes when it wants the roof working without owning the equipment on it.
Project Facts
- Location
- Freehold, NJ
- Service
- Solar Panel Installation
- Client since
- May 2014
- Panels
- Trina Model # TMS-PC05/PA05.18/250W
- Panels
- 34
- System size
- 8.50 kW
- Inverter
- Central
- Mounting system
- Zep Solar
- Estimated first-year production
- 10,170 kWh
- Electric utility
- JCP&L
Solar questions from Freehold homeowners
How much does shade from mature Freehold 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.
What does solar offset mean?
It compares the array's estimated annual production with the home's expected annual consumption. A house using 12,000 kWh a year with a system expected to generate 11,400 kWh has a 95 percent offset. It is an annual energy comparison, not a promise that solar supplies 95 percent of the electricity in any given hour.
Can New Jersey change its net-metering rules?
Yes. Energy statutes, Board of Public Utilities regulations and utility tariffs can all change. A proposal should describe the rules as they currently stand rather than guarantee that they will hold for decades.