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EN-Rev IM/GN-EN/1.0 Copyright © January, 2023. CSI Solar Co., Ltd.
ANNEX C: COASTAL AREA ANTI-CORROSION INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
C.1.0: GENERAL INFORMATION
According to the specific conditions stipulated in the
Canadian Solar installation manual and general warranty
statement, Canadian Solar PV modules are not allowed
install in coastal areas. Coastal areas state that the places
located within 100m of the defined coastline.
This annex has been created to facilitate approval for
customer PV installations located within 20 m and 100 m of
the coastline. It lays down general requirements to ensure
that Canadian Solar PV modules are installed properly and
reliably in coastal areas, which include but are not limited
to relevant anti-corrosion principles for both the modules
and associated mounting systems. This annex summarizes
the key technical requirements stipulated by well-known
international standards and explains how they apply to
photovoltaic systems.
Please read this annex carefully and strictly follow any
relevant instructions prior to installing Canadian Solar
modules in coastal areas. Failure to follow these
instructions and other general anti-corrosion principles may
result in corrosion damage to the photovoltaic modules
and/or their racking systems, and will void the Canadian
Solar limited product and performance warranty. For further
inquiries, please contact our customer service department
or our local representatives for more information.
The reliability of photovoltaic modules strongly depends on
their distance from the coastline. Different coastal land
areas are defined according to how far away from the
coastline they are; Canadian Solar generally classifies
seashore PV installations according to four different groups:
Distance from the coastline
(X: meters)
Requirements
X ≤ 20 m
Installations are strictly prohibited by Canadian Solar due to concerns over salt-mist
corrosion.
20m < X ≤ 100 m
Installations must comprise Canadian Solar ‟special-anti-corrosion” modules. These
installations must comply with the instructions listed under sections
C.2.1/C.2.2/C.2.3/C3.0.
100m < X ≤ 500 m
Installation of Canadian Solar ‟special-anti-corrosion” modules is recommended.
It is recommended to follow the instructions listed under sections
C.2.1/C.2.2/C.2.3/C.3.0.
> 500 m
Please follow section 7.0
Local conditions strongly influence the salt deposition rate,
which is particularly, but not exclusively, dependent on
specific regions and local wind patterns. Canadian Solar
reserves the right to adapt the above definition to individual
cases. Please contact your local representative to confirm
which category your PV system falls under.
The word “coastline” in this manual refers to the area where
the land meets the sea during high tide.
In this manual, “distance to the coastline” refers to the
shortest distance between the photovoltaic module array
and the coastline.
Please consult the Canadian Solar technical support
department or your local representative for more
information on installing ‟special anti-corrosion” modules.
C.2.1: GENERAL ANTI-CORROSION METHODS
Do not scratch or break the corrosion-resistant coating on
the modules or mounting systems during installation.
Do not change the structure of the module, i.e. by drilling
holes into the module frame.
