[RE-wrenches] seaside installation

[a karnitz]

Hi Kirk,
 
On all of my seaside installs I make sure to use stailnless hardware, annodized aluminum (most racking is, but not all), dielectric grease on all comm connections (and reapplied every few years), anti corrosion (nickle grease) on all copper to alum connections and most importantly...read the manual that comes with the module!!!  I heard a story of late about a fellow local installer that got a job we both bid on.  I spec'd Evergreen 190's, he spec'd japaneese brand X.  brand x was installed, the curious ex-contractor customer read brand x's module manual and found that the modules were not warrantied if installed w/i 500 meters of a salt water body.  the site was about 2-300 meters from the pacific ocean.  poor installer had to remove 5+ kW of brand x and reinstall Evergreen 190's, aparrently one of the only (according to the customer) mfgs to cover "seaside" installs.
 
and oh yeah, never turn your back on the ocean.


Andy Karnitz
NABCEP Certified PV Installer
Blue Skies Solar
Renewable Energy Solutions
Arcata, CA 95521
707-834-9434
 

--- On Wed, 12/24/08, penobscotsolar at midmaine.com <penobscotsolar at midmaine.com> wrote:

From: penobscotsolar at midmaine.com <penobscotsolar at midmaine.com>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] seaside installation
To: kirk at vtsolar.com, "RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Date: Wednesday, December 24, 2008, 7:18 AM

Hi Kirk,
   About 75% of our installations need to consider the effects of salt
air. We install along the coast of Maine and in the Bahamas, so there
are additional issues of temperature extremes which can compound
problems in a not-so-well thought out system. From using silicone
grease for terminal connections to ensuring as low humidity in battery
storage areas as possible to using as much marine grade stainless steel
hardware and aluminum components as industry allows will ensure much
longer life/reliability of a constantly salt air exposure environment.
   Give me a call if you want to talk about specifics in the near future.
I'm in CA right now, back on the 27th, gone to Bahamas from 29-Jan7. In
Maine until the end of Jan. Cell (207)299-2291
  Daryl DeJoy
  NABCEP Certified PV installer
  Penobscot Solar Design
  (207)326-0779



> Hello,
>
>
>
> Can anyone briefly describe the potential issues of pv installations in a
> ocean side environment - ie the effects of salt air, ect? Corrosion
> issues,
> and how pvs will weather such conditions? Precautions to take, ect?
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> Kirk Herander
>
> Vermont Solar Engineering
>
> 802.863.1202
>
> NABCEP(tm) Certified Solar Installer
>
> NYSERDA-eligible Installer
>
> VT Solar Incentive Program Partner
>
>
>
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