Driven by global energy transition and carbon neutrality goals, the photovoltaic (PV) industry continued its rapid expansion in 2023, and the supporting infrastructure for PV access and maintenance walkways saw significant technological and market breakthroughs. From large-scale ground-mounted power plants to rooftop distributed PV, and from urban footpaths to bicycle paths, functional and durable grated walkways have become an indispensable part of PV facilities, demonstrating strong development trends in technological innovation, global applications, and market prospects.

1. Grated Walkways: A Critical Foundation for PV System Operation

As the scale of PV power plants continues to grow, the importance of maintenance walkways has become increasingly evident. PV plants often cover tens or even hundreds of hectares, while rooftop systems are densely arranged on building tops. Ensuring safe and efficient access for maintenance personnel to every PV module has become a key challenge in project design. Against this backdrop, grated walkways have been widely adopted as maintenance paths in PV systems due to their unique structural advantages and material properties.

FRP (Fiber-Reinforced Plastic) grating walkways gained significant attention in 2023. Made with unsaturated polyester resin as the matrix and glass fiber as reinforcement, FRP grating offers lightweight, high strength, corrosion resistance, electrical insulation, and anti-slip properties. Typical mesh sizes for PV maintenance walkways are 38 mm × 38 mm, with thicknesses of 25 mm, 30 mm, or 38 mm depending on load requirements, and widths customizable from 30 to 100 cm to suit different applications. The material exhibits excellent electrical insulation – no breakdown under 10 kV – eliminating any risk of the walkway becoming electrically charged, a critical safety feature for PV plants operating in high-voltage DC environments. In addition, FRP is resistant to acids, alkalis, and aging, with a design service life exceeding 20 years, maintaining structural stability even under prolonged exposure to weather and chemical cleaning agents used in PV systems.

Besides FRP, hot-dip galvanized steel grating also holds an important position in the PV walkway sector. Steel grating offers high strength, excellent load-bearing capacity, and relatively low cost, making it widely used for main maintenance walkways in large ground-mounted plants. Moreover, a PVC roll-out walkway product named DukMat™ entered the market in 2023. At 450 mm wide, it can be laid out on flat rooftops between PV array rows without any fixings, remaining stable even in hurricane-force winds. Its easy and fast installation provides a new solution for rooftop PV maintenance access.

2. From Rooftops to Roads: Diverse Applications of PV Walkway Systems

The application of PV walkways extends far beyond maintenance access. In 2023, various projects integrating PV power generation with public spaces such as footpaths and bicycle paths were implemented around the world, representing an important direction for PV innovation.

In British Columbia, Canada, the Malahat First Nation launched a pilot project embedding solar power into hardened surfaces such as sidewalks, roads, and parking lots, combining PV plus energy storage. With a total investment of CAD 200,000, the project was carried out by the First Nation in partnership with a clean energy company. Upon completion, it is expected to enable the Nation’s administration building to operate almost entirely off-grid. The solar pavement technology used can withstand vehicle traffic, transforming traditionally sunk-cost hardened surfaces into revenue-generating PV assets.

Europe has also been at the forefront of PV walkway exploration. In April 2023, Hungarian company Platio completed a solar footpath in Groningen, the Netherlands, using 2,544 solar paving stones covering an area of approximately 400 m². The path is expected to generate about 55,000 kWh per year, sufficient to meet the electricity demand of Groningen’s city hall. The product uses monocrystalline silicon solar cells with 21.8% efficiency. Each paving stone features a 10 mm thick tempered glass surface and a highly durable recycled polymer composite frame; the anti-slip surface ensures pedestrian safety. The project is part of the EU’s “Making City” program, aiming to promote positive energy districts and help the EU achieve climate neutrality.

In May 2023, German company Badenova unveiled the country’s first solar bicycle path in Freiburg. The 300-meter-long path has a capacity of 287 kW, consisting of 900 semi-transparent glass solar modules. The modules received technical approval from the German Institute for Building Technology, waiving further authorization requirements. The path generates about 280 MWh per year, primarily supplying electricity to laboratories and buildings at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. Heinz-Werner Hölscher, a member of Badenova’s board, stated: “This pilot project demonstrates how urban spaces can be dual-used.”

In December, two solar bicycle paths in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and North Brabant became operational, representing the country’s first such paths with an area exceeding 1,000 m² each. Built by French company Wattway in partnership with Dutch BAM Royal Group, the paths use ultra-thin solid solar panels just a few millimeters thick, adhered directly to existing bike paths. Each square meter delivers 148 W of power, and the two paths together are expected to generate 160 MWh annually. The solar cells are encapsulated in multiple layers of resin and polymer substrate, allowing light transmission while withstanding cycling pressure. The surface is specially treated to provide friction comparable to traditional asphalt, fully ensuring cycling safety. The Netherlands has over 35,000 km of bicycle path network; using existing paths to deploy solar panels avoids occupying valuable land resources that would otherwise be needed for large ground-mounted PV plants.

3. Technical Standards and Market Prospects Advance in Parallel

As PV walkway systems become more widely used, relevant technical standards and regulations made significant progress in 2023. In September 2023, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) published the third edition of IEC 61730-1:2023, specifying basic construction requirements for PV modules to ensure safe electrical and mechanical operation over their intended service life, with emphasis on protection against electric shock, fire hazards, and personal injury due to mechanical and environmental stresses. Meanwhile, China issued NB/T 11345-2023, a visual safety identification standard for PV power stations, providing unified requirements for safety signage in PV arrays, collector lines, substations, and station roads, thereby offering a technical basis for the safety management of PV station walkways.

In terms of market size, the industry foundation supporting PV walkway systems continues to grow. According to statistics, the PV corridor market in China reached approximately RMB 240 billion in 2023, an increase of 11.6% year-on-year. PV corridors combine PV technology with structural optimization, improving PV system efficiency while reducing component weight, thereby lowering installation and operating costs. This model, which integrates PV power generation with urban transport infrastructure, is gradually moving from pilot projects to large-scale promotion.

The global PV industry maintained high growth in 2023. Data show that global newly installed PV capacity reached 390 GW in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 69.6%, with China continuing to lead the world in new installations. The large-scale construction of PV plants has driven demand for supporting walkway systems, a trend fully reflected in industry exhibitions. In March 2023, Solar Solutions International was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, covering 24,000 m² and bringing together 250 exhibitors from around the world, with PV walkways and supporting systems becoming a focus of attention. In August, the 15th Solar PV World Expo took place in Guangzhou, China, with over 900 exhibitors expected to attract more than 60,000 professional visitors from over 100 countries, where PV walkway products were prominently featured as an important part of PV engineering.