Driven by the global energy transition and the "dual carbon" goals, China's photovoltaic (PV) industry maintained strong growth momentum in 2022. As a core support component of PV power plants, the solar mounting market also experienced rapid development. Among various technologies, Hot-Dip Galvanizing (HDG) became the mainstream choice for large-scale ground-mounted power plants and PV projects in complex environments due to its excellent corrosion resistance and long service life. In 2022, significant progress was made in technological innovation, project applications, and the market landscape surrounding HDG steel mounts.

Technology & Market: HDG Becomes Industry Standard

PV mounts must ensure the stable operation of power plants for over 25 years outdoors, which imposes extremely high requirements on the anti-corrosion performance of materials. Against this backdrop, HDG remained the preferred solution for many projects in 2022 due to its significant advantages.

The HDG process forms a metallurgically bonded zinc-iron alloy protective layer on the steel surface, providing not only a physical barrier but also cathodic protection. Even if the coating is slightly damaged, the surrounding zinc layer will corrode preferentially, thereby protecting the underlying steel. This characteristic makes HDG mounts perform exceptionally well in harsh outdoor environments such as those with UV radiation, windblown sand, rain, and snow.

Market data from 2022 shows that the cost of PV mounts is largely determined by bulk materials, with steel accounting for about half of the cost of fixed mounts. Although material innovations such as zinc-aluminum-magnesium (ZAM) coatings were emerging to reduce material and transportation costs, HDG's position as the dominant choice in procurement tenders remained unchallenged due to its mature process and high reliability. Specifically, galvanizing costs accounted for approximately 8% of the total cost of fixed mounts. However, most manufacturers were cautious about the annual steel market trends, faced significant financial pressure, were generally inactive in operations, and adopted a wait-and-see approach.

Project Applications: Full Coverage from Gobi Deserts to Fishponds

In 2022, several large-scale PV projects using HDG technology were successfully completed, demonstrating its adaptability to various harsh environments.

Gobi and High-Altitude Projects: For the 50MW PV project in Akto, Xinjiang, the tender documents explicitly required that the average hot-dip galvanized coating thickness on the mount surface be no less than 65μm to ensure structural integrity throughout its 25-year design life. For the world's first ultra-high-altitude PV empirical base at an average altitude of approximately 4,000 meters in Garzê Prefecture, Sichuan Province, Huading Solar Power successfully won the bid to provide horizontal single-axis tracking mounts capable of overcoming extreme challenges such as high altitude, low air pressure, and strong winds.

"PV+" Composite Projects: Beiqing Solar's 70MWp fishery-PV-storage integrated demonstration project in Baoying, Jiangsu Province, also explicitly required that mounts be protected by either hot-dip galvanizing or ZAM coatings. In September 2022, Qinghai Province announced that key technologies for HDG anti-corrosion of PV mounts had achieved industrial application, and these technologies were widely used in major projects led by state-owned power companies such as SPIC (State Power Investment Corporation).

Industry Trends: Technological Innovation and Increasing Market Concentration

The PV mounting industry in 2022 was characterized by both active technological innovation and rising market concentration.

In terms of technological innovation, Xiamen Juyi Energy's "quick-installation adapter for PV mounts" project passed scientific and technological achievement evaluation, reaching a domestic leading level. Its design with an adjustable angle of 0-50 degrees better accommodates complex terrain. In addition, adjustable ground mounting systems using HDG steel allow single-person quick angle adjustment, increasing power generation efficiency while reducing initial investment. In emerging fields such as floating PV and offshore PV, which face high salt spray and high humidity, new composite material frames are also being used for corrosion protection alongside HDG steel mounts.

Regarding market structure, data shows that in 2020, the global shipments of Chinese PV mount manufacturers exceeded 43 GW. The industry concentration showed an upward trend, with the top three companies accounting for a combined 45.6% of total shipments in 2020. Meanwhile, in 2022, hot-dip galvanizing had become a "standard" requirement in many PV procurement tenders and was widely used in projects such as offshore PV demonstration plants and agrivoltaic systems.