Criterion 6.1.1.11 Airborne Pollutants

Criterion text:
Solar components and materials that are exposed to airborne pollutants such as ozone, salt spray, SO2 or NOx shall not be adversely affected by these factors to the extent that their function will be significantly impaired during their design life.

Comments:
The collector specified in the SRCC certified system has previously been tested and certified. This included a quality and quantity test. It is important for the installer to make sure that this is the collector used on the installed system.

In addition, the collector hardware used must also be the hardware provided by the collector manufacturer. SRCC has approved not only the manufacturer's collector but also the collector's accompanying hardware.

Collectors are installed in a variety of climatic environments. This includes coastal as well as inland areas. These varying environmental areas often require the use of different materials. Manufacturers have taken this into consideration and have available various collector models that address this issue. For example, coastal area manufacturers in many cases specify the use of a certain collector that has an enclosure more suited to that environment. In addition, stainless steel collector mounting hardware is often specified for coastal areas.

Installer and manufacturer coordination is very important when determining the type of collector and hardware required in a specific area. If need be, the manufacturer may be required to supplement their current system certifications to make sure that their collector and collector mounting hardware is suitable for particular geographical areas.

Figures 1 and 2 show some of the collector mounting hardware that have been approved for use in SRCC certified systems.

Figure 1

Figure 2

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