In 2023, the global solar industry continued its rapid growth trajectory. In the Chinese market, distributed photovoltaic (PV) installations saw explosive growth. According to data from the National Energy Administration, China added 96.29 GW of new distributed PV capacity in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 88%. By the end of the year, the cumulative installed capacity of distributed PV nationwide reached 253 million kW, up 61% year-on-year. Rooftop solar exceeded 100 million kW, benefiting over 5 million rural households. This surge in installed capacity has driven continuous iteration and upgrading of PV installation technologies and equipment, making "easy installation" and "quick grounding" two key technological buzzwords in the PV industry in 2023.

I. Industry Background: Distributed PV Boom Creates Demand for Convenient Installation

Driven by policy support and rapidly falling PV module prices, distributed PV experienced a period of high-speed growth. In the first three quarters of 2023 alone, China added 67.14 GW of new distributed PV capacity, accounting for 52.07% of total new PV installations. As distributed PV moves from niche to mainstream, ordinary households, farm owners, and other non-professional users are showing increasing demand for solar systems. The traditional dependence of PV installation on specialized construction teams, heavy equipment, and complex electrical welding has gradually become a bottleneck to market expansion.

Against this backdrop, domestic and international PV companies have increasingly focused their R&D efforts on "easy installation," "plug-and-play," and "weld-free grounding" , launching a range of user-friendly PV products for ordinary consumers.

II. Plug-and-Play: Making PV Installation Accessible to Everyone

In 2023, several brands launched "plug-and-play" PV systems for consumers, significantly lowering the barrier to installation.

In March 2023, TSUNESS launched the Easy Solar Kit Spider, a brand-new plug-and-play grid-tied solar system. Designed specifically for wall mounting, the product can also be installed on various surfaces such as flat ground, flat roofs, railings, balconies, and gardens, allowing users to assemble it themselves without hiring professional installers. With a plug-and-play connection, users simply convert the DC power generated by the solar panels into AC power via a micro-inverter and then connect it directly to the grid—an extremely simple operation. Ellen Xue, Sales Director of TSUNESS, said, "For years, we have been committed to making solar simple and energy intelligent. Now this new product allows consumers to use this technology in their daily lives without expert installation."

In May of the same year, German startup Green Akku launched plug-and-play solar panels that can be hung on garden fences. The complete kit includes PV modules, a micro-inverter, and mounting materials, priced at just €416.81. The biggest feature of this product is its extremely simple installation—basically, just hang the solar panels on the fence and clip them in place. Due to the vertical installation, the system achieves higher power generation when the sun is low in the morning and evening, outperforming many rooftop systems.

In August, U.S. company Solar Electric Supply launched a revolutionary easy-install ground-mount solar system. The system features innovative racking technologies from industry leaders such as Unirac and Iron Ridge, which not only significantly reduce installation costs but also greatly simplify the installation process. The system combines reliability and scalability, using high-quality components from well-known brands such as REC, Qcells, Canadian Solar, Trina Solar, and Panasonic, and provides full-process support from engineering design to permit application. Garrett Gettleman, President and CEO of the company, stated, "Embracing solar energy should be a happy and easy journey, and our easy-install ground-mount system is designed precisely to achieve this goal."

III. Technological Innovation: Grounding Systems Enter the "Quick-Install Era"

If plug-and-play systems are aimed at home users, then the breakthroughs in grounding technology in 2023 have brought comprehensive improvements in installation efficiency for the entire PV industry.

In August 2023, China Energy’s subsidiary Guoneng Company obtained a utility model patent for a "Maintenance-Free Grounding Grid for Quick Photovoltaic Grounding." This patented technology uses non-metallic clamps for simple operation without electricity, effectively reducing welding fume damage to human health and air pollution, while also reducing the risk of corrosion to the grounding body, significantly improving the installation efficiency and environmental performance of PV grounding systems.

In October of the same year, Guoneng Company obtained another patent for a "Quick-Install Grounding Down-Lead for Photovoltaic Grounding." This technology uses prefabricated components with bolts and nuts, avoiding damage to the galvanized layer and the PV column support body, eliminating the construction difficulties associated with electrical welding, and achieving convenient connection, fast construction, and maximum efficiency.

In December 2023, Jiangxi Ganneng Co., Ltd. obtained a patent for a "New-Type Photovoltaic Device Structure," which hides the grounding device inside the column. This not only achieves the electrical effect of grounding but also provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance, while being very easy to install.

In overseas markets, nVent ERICO also launched a series of PV grounding solutions in 2023, including ground rods, grounding busbars, and patented connection products such as nVent ERIFLEX FleXbus. These products can be quickly installed without the need for additional design research, specialized labor, or expensive tools, significantly reducing installation costs.

IV. Racking Systems: Easy Installation Becomes a Mainstream Trend

At major international PV exhibitions in 2023, "easy installation" became the main theme for new racking systems.

In October, at the All-Energy 2023 exhibition in Melbourne, Australia, Antai New Energy launched the SnapFit commercial and industrial (C&I) flash-install system. Thanks to its innovative elastic drive mechanism and advanced engineering structural design, it can improve installation efficiency by up to 50%, while offering flexible combination solutions to meet different project requirements. In addition, Antai New Energy also launched a small ground-mount racking kit to meet the growing demand from Australian farms and residential users to build PV systems on the ground. Its convenient installation, high versatility, and modular design have been well received by the market.

In June, at the Intersolar Europe exhibition in Munich, Germany, Mibet New Energy displayed balcony racks, PGT4, and GT7 ground-mount PV systems. Among them, the balcony rack is made of aluminum alloy, which is lightweight and easy to install, solving users' concerns about floor load-bearing and installation. Around the same time, Goodray also launched its next-generation GS series PV racking products at the same exhibition, featuring comprehensive upgrades in stability and power generation efficiency.

In September, at the RE+ exhibition in the United States, Mibet New Energy again showcased the GT7 ground-mount racking system. The system uses a stable and lightweight aluminum alloy structure, with a purlin-free fixing method that ensures robustness and stability. Factory pre-assembly significantly saves construction time and labor costs.

In the domestic Chinese market, SunForson launched the SFS-Wall-03 mini adjustable home solar mounting kit in August 2023. Suitable for various scenarios such as home balconies, ground, outdoor campsites, and walls, it can be quickly assembled on site without drilling or welding. The small packaging volume and low transportation costs make it ideal for offline retail or online sales.

V. Conclusion: A Paradigm Shift from "Engineering" to "Product"

The vigorous development of easy-install solar grounding systems in 2023 marks a profound paradigm shift in the PV industry: solar systems are transforming from "engineering projects" that require specialized construction teams to "consumer products" that ordinary users can install themselves.

Behind this shift is a positive synergy between technological innovation and market demand. On one hand, the rapid growth of distributed PV has created a huge demand for convenient installation solutions. On the other hand, technological breakthroughs from companies in quick-install racks, weld-free grounding, and plug-and-play systems have made it a reality for people to "install solar themselves." As TSUNESS advocates—"make solar simple"—this vision is rapidly becoming a reality in 2023.