Dealing with Salt and Corrosion on Your Solar Panels

When installing solar on a roof by the ocean, you may be concerned that the amount of salt that will build up will cause damage to your system. On top of just getting salt build up, salty wind can cause corrosion, which you may be concerned will affect your solar panels. Keep reading this blog to learn the impact living by a salty ocean could have on your system and if you should be concerned that it will cause damage to your system.

Dealing with Atypical Conditions and Checking Your Warranty

The main problem with having solar panels next to a salty ocean is that you’ll be dealing with atypical conditions. This means that you’ll be dealing with problems that people who don’t live next to a salty ocean won’t have to deal with. Things like rust, efficiency issues, and cleaning your panels more than the average person are all factors you’ll have to take into consideration when installing panels on a roof next to the ocean. This brings us to the first thing to check for: your warranty.

If any issues do occur, you need to make sure your warranty will cover it, especially if you have an added risk of corrosion and efficiency loss due to your geographical location. Make sure you take a long look over your warranty before signing anything so that you’ll be sure you’re covered if anything does happen.

How corrosion could be caused by salt.

The main thing you’ll have to worry about when living near the ocean is corrosion from salt. Because salt reacts to water and you’ll experience a lot of humidity when living near an ocean, the natural corrosion of the metals on your panels will be sped up. This means you could end up dealing with your racking system, wiring, or even the solar cells themselves rusting.

On the plus side, solar panels are extremely corrosion-resistant, and the solar modules are vacuum-sealed between their back sheet and interior materials, preventing interior corrosion. On top of that, if you find a reputable manufacturer, they will test their panels to ensure they pass the IEC 61701 Salt Mist Corrosion Test, which will ensure they are able to withstand salt mist and harsh coastal weather.

Solar module frames are also made out of anodized aluminum, which is resistant to corrosion, especially In salty environments. You’ll want to find a racking system that’s also made out of this material. Make sure your solar installer knows you’re prone to salty air so that they can take that into account when designing your system and choosing the materials it’s made out of.

How salt can also cause a loss in efficiency.

On top of corrosion, the other concern is that salt will impact your system’s efficiency. To avoid this, you’ll want to make sure you keep your panels regularly cleaned off with a hose. While most people can get away with only washing their panels once every few months, you’ll probably want to do it more often to ensure you aren’t dealing with a lot of salt buildup. It won’t need to be rigorous cleaning. Just rinse the panels off with a hose. And if it rains, that will do the job for you, so you won’t have to worry about it.

Want to learn more about making the switch to solar in various climates? Check out the HahaSmart blog for tons of resources and information!

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