Developed for the US market in 2010, UL 2703 (MOUNTING SYSTEMS, MOUNTING DEVICES, CLAMPING-RETENTION DEVICES, AND GROUND LUGS) was designed to be a companion to UL 1703 (Standard for Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels). This standard focuses on all the main technical aspects of a racking system, most notably electrical bonding / grounding and allowable loads. In 2012 as a response to the lack of a definition of a Canadian standard CSA Group Issued a List of Technical Requirements (LTR AE-001-2012). While not being a full standard, it serves as a companion to the UL Standards with some notable additions tailored to Canadian Codes:
- Load testing is to be done to the mechanical loading test of CAN/CSA-IEC 61646 which specifies a Load of 2.4 kPa directed downwards and a load of 2.4 kPa directed upwards for standard certification and a load of 5.4 kPa downwards / 2.4 kPa upwards for the High Snow Load Certification.
- Electrical Certifications are done to select causes from CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 61730-1 and CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 61730-2 based on the Canadian Requirements for Solar Module bonding and grounding
The load testing is a significant increase over that of UL 2703 as the minimum required load of 10 psf (~0.48 kPa) downwards and 5 psf (~0.24 kPa) upwards.
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Minimum Testing Requirements |
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UL 2703 |
CSA LTR-AE-001-2012 |
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Downward Load |
10 psf (0.48 kPa) |
2.4 kPa / 5.4 kPa (High Snow) |
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Upward Load |
5 psf (0.24 kPa) |
2.4 kPa |
As can be seen above, there is a significant difference when it comes to the load testing. In Canada where Snow Loads are of great concern, products certified to LTR AE-001-2012 are your best guarantee that your solar system will fare well in a high snow load situation.