Manufacturer Canadian Solar
Array Rating 5.3kW
PV Technology poly-Si
Array Structure Fixed: Ground Mount
Installed 2016

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Current Output

Polycrystalline silicon array, fixed ground-mount.

Canadian Solar’s polycrystalline modules have better temperature behaviour than monocrystalline PV modules, and are best suited for applications in high ambient temperature environment. Our innovative five busbar cell technology poly modules increase module power output and system reliability.

All our PV modules are manufactured based on a meticulous design and rigorous quality control ensuring a high-yield, long-term performance for every module produced.

Our Modules Key features:

: Cell efficiency of up to 19.2 %

: High PTC rating of up to 91.89 %

: Outstanding low irradiance performance: 96.5 %

: IP67 junction box for long-term weather endurance

: Heavy snow load up to 6000 Pa, wind load up to 4000 Pa.

: 25 years Linear power output warranty

: 10 years product warranty on materials and workmanship

Founded in 2001 in Canada, Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is committed to providing high quality solar products, solar system solutions and services to customers around the world. As a leading PV project developer and manufacturer of solar modules with over 16 GW deployed around the world since 2001, Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is one of the most bankable solar companies worldwide.

The above technology description has been supplied by the manufacturer. The Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre is pleased to provide a platform for information sharing while not endorsing specific claims made about technologies installed at the site.

Array Rating 5.3kW
Panel Rating 265W
Number Of Panels 20
Panel Type CS6K-265
Array Area 32.74 m²
Type Of Tracker N/A
Inverter Size / Type 6 kW Fronius Primo replaced 5kW, SMA SMC 5000A on 29/4/22
Installation Completed Wed, 9 Nov 2016
Array Tilt/Azimuth Tilt = 20, Azi = 0 (Solar North)


Notes on the Data

  1. Inverters replaced

    Failed inverters on sites 8,32,33 and 34 have been replaced with Fronius Primo 6kW inverters. These systems are now generating normally again.


    Wed, 4 May 2022

  2. Failed Inverters

    In addition to the failed inverter on site 33, additional inverter issues have been identified at the following sites.

    • Site 32, complete failure.
    • Site 34, intermittent issue.
    • Site 12, Intermittent issue, tends to be in the middle of the day.

    Remediation work is underway for each array.


    Mon, 14 Feb 2022

  3. Metering failure

    Circuit breaker supplying the metering equipment for sites 23-38 tripped off on Aug 19th and was discovered and turned back on on Aug 23rd. This resulted in a lack of generation data for these sites during this time but did not stop the sites from physically generating.


    Thu, 19 Aug 2021

  4. System Disconnection for Cabling Works

    All arrays at the Solar Centre were disconnected from approximately 2.00pm to 3.00pm on Monday, 9 July 2018 in preparation for the cable between the main switchboard and distribution board being upgraded. Array sites #23-38 remained disconnected while the main feeder cable to these sites was replaced in subsequent days, but all systems were re-connected by early afternoon on Thursday, 12 July 2018.


    Mon, 9 Jul 2018

  5. System Outage at Australia Day Long Weekend

    A breaker tripped at around 12.30pm on Friday, 26 January, likely due to high generation levels reached at this peak time on this high irradiance day. Connection was restored after the Australia Day long weekend at around 11.30am on Monday, 29 January but shortly tripped again.

    UPDATE 26-02-2018. The cause of this reoccurring issue has been identified and will be rectified. The solution requires the upgrading of a key distribution cable. This should be completed in the coming months.


    Fri, 26 Jan 2018

  6. Connection Restored After Christmas/NY Period

    Arrays have been re-connected following the outage that disconnected multiple sites from Christmas day 2017. The outage is believed to have been triggered by the tripping of two circuit breakers in separate distribution boards, making the diagnosis initially elusive. The ability of the common circuit shared by these arrays to keep abreast with increasingly high current demands as new arrays are installed and generation conditions are high is presently being addressed. For the same reason, intermittent outages persisted in the summer of early 2018.


    Fri, 19 Jan 2018

  7. System Outage at Christmas/NY Period

    A system outage was caused by a circuit breaker trip at approximately 2pm on a high generation day shortly after installation of a new array at the DKA Solar Centre. The outage commenced on 25 December continuing into the new year and is being addressed.


    Mon, 25 Dec 2017

  8. System Outage for New Array Connection

    Sites 23 through to 37 experienced an outage today from 11:10 to 11:50. The outage was due to the local distribution board being temporarily being taken offline to allow for the connection of a new PV system.  


    Wed, 20 Dec 2017

  9. Monitoring Interruption for UPS Battery Replacement

    The disconnection and re-connection of the solar arrays and weather station equipment while a new site connection was being established prompted the already flattening UPS batteries which power the site’s energy meters to fail and require immediate replacement. Data recording was affected from approximately 2.30pm ACST, Monday 10 July to 4.00pm, Wednesday 12 July.

    Affects weather data for DKASC, Alice Springs


    Wed, 12 Jul 2017

  10. Partial System Outage

    One of the major switchboards at the DKASC lost power yesterday 01/12/2016 at ~11:00 am. This isolated and shutdown array sites 23 through to 37 inclusive. The switchboard was re-energised at ~16:30 today (02/12/2016) and is again operating normally. Data for this period for these sites is lost.


    Fri, 2 Dec 2016

  11. Site 32: PV Module Changeover

    At the request of Canadian Solar the existing PV modules at site 32 were changed out in full, with existing PV modules being removed and a new and more recent array pf Canadian Solar modules installed. Details on the updated technology is available by linking to the “More Info” tab for Site 32

    Data from the original Canadian Solar array will be archived but remain available from the Historical Data Download page.


    Wed, 9 Nov 2016



> Answer to Spotlight Question

Onsite at the DKA Solar Centre in Alice Springs are a series of quiz-like Spotlight Questions at each array. Visit the centre and scan the QR code at each sign to test your knowledge – and check your answer here!

Q: Can you see a difference in performance before and after the new technology was installed? (Hint: Download and compare the historical data on this website!)

A: The module swap-over of this array (#32) took place on 9 November 2016. Recent and historical power generation data can be accessed via the Historical Data page on this website and selecting the appropriate CSV files: respectively, for site 32 (current) and for the discontinued Canadian Solar array.