Market Overview: Steady Growth, Optimizing Structure

Data shows that in 2024, the PV rail (Mounting Rail) sub-segment has formed a substantial market of its own. Industry reports indicate the global solar mounting rail market was valued at approximately USD 2.461 billion in 2024, with an annual production volume of about 439,400 km. Driven by continued global PV installation growth and higher efficiency module requirements, this market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.1%, reaching USD 3.789 billion by 2031.

Meanwhile, the broader solar PV mounting system market is also growing steadily. According to some reports, the global solar PV mounting system market was valued at approximately USD 44.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.4% over the next decade, reaching about USD 68.2 billion by 2034. This growth is reflected not only in overall size but also in a deep structural shift.

Notably, tracking systems—which can significantly boost power generation—are becoming the core growth driver. Global tracker shipments exceeded 100 GW for the first time in 2024, reaching 111 GW, up 20% YoY. Industry analysts expect tracker market growth to outpace fixed systems over the next five years. However, the trend varies regionally: US shipments were 33 GW in 2024, down 9% YoY (first decline in eight years), while India, Saudi Arabia, and Europe posted YoY growth.

Technology Innovation: Full-Scene Upgrades – from Materials to Solutions

Facing increasingly complex global application scenarios, technological innovation in PV rails and mounting systems in 2024 is characterized by diversification, scene-specific design, and intelligence.

Flexible Mounting: Opening New Scenarios

Traditional fixed mounts have limitations on complex terrain. In 2024, flexible mounting technology—offering high ground clearance, large span, and high safety—has become a hot topic. For example, DAS Solar's flexible mounting solution, with smaller pile density and larger span, perfectly fits complex terrains like deserts, steep mountains, fish ponds, and agricultural land, effectively solving issues of high land occupation and cost. Its resilience has been verified in extreme weather, successfully withstanding super typhoon "Yagi" and demonstrating high reliability in harsh environments.

Lightweight Revolution with New Materials

Lightweight and corrosion resistance are clear technical directions. Companies globally are actively exploring new materials:

Basalt fiber PV mounts: Developed by East China Construction Management, a single array weighs only ~55% of conventional steel mounts, with high strength, corrosion resistance, and ~12% lower carbon emissions in production.

Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP): Patents show that using GFRP for key stressed components (main beams, inclined struts, rails) on concrete roof PV systems effectively reduces roof load requirements.

Green H-section purlins: Tianye Group received a patent for a new green lightweight H-section purlin (using engineering plastics) – eco-friendly, lightweight, low processing energy, corrosion-resistant, and well-insulated.

Deep Integration of Intelligence and Trackers

Power generation is the core of plant revenue. Compared to fixed mounts, trackers alone can boost generation by 15-25%. In 2024, integrating advanced smart control systems has become mainstream.

Smart tracking algorithms: Arctech launched the world's first wireless multi-point parallel drive flexible tracking system "Tianrou" at SNEC, combining smart tracking gains with multi-scene applications.

Verified generation gains: Trina Tracker's smart control system reduces shading and increases diffuse light utilization. Verified in multiple global projects, it delivers an additional 2-4% average annual generation on top of conventional trackers, exceeding 10% on cloudy/rainy days.

Domestic Policy Support: Steering Industry toward High Quality & Multi-Scene Development

In 2024, the Chinese government introduced multiple policies covering equipment renewal, PV desert control, and BIPV, providing clear guidance and support for the mounting system industry.

Large-scale equipment renewal: The NDRC and NEA issued a plan supporting PV plant grid-forming upgrades using power electronics, digitalization, and smart technologies to improve overall efficiency – directly driving demand for advanced systems like smart trackers and digital monitoring.

Encouraging flexible mounts: Relevant authorities explicitly encouraged promoting large-span flexible PV mounts in desert control projects, providing valuable application scenarios.

Promoting BIPV: Six government departments (including NDRC) issued guidelines to deepen building renewable energy integration and promote green building standards for new urban construction.

Key Company Updates

Driven by market and technology in 2024, several Chinese PV mounting companies stood out in global competition.

Arctech: Leveraging strong products and market expansion, its global tracker shipment ranking rose from #6 in 2023 to #2 globally in 2024. By end-June 2024, backlog orders were ~RMB 6.669 billion, of which trackers accounted for ~RMB 5.549 billion, up 183.11% YoY.

Trina Solar: As a global PV module giant, its mounting business performed strongly, maintaining #6 global ranking in 2024 and ranking top 5 in key markets including Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Antai Energy: Leveraging excellent global expansion, Antai successfully ranked #9 in global PV tracker shipments in 2024, and #6 in the Asia-Pacific region.

Major Project Cases Demonstrating Technology Application

Several large domestic PV projects were successfully connected to the grid in 2024, serving as benchmarks for advanced mounting solutions.

China's largest single subsidence area PV base – Lanhai PV Station (Inner Mongolia): Covering ~105,000 mu, annual power generation 5.7 billion kWh. To ensure mount stability in subsidence-prone ground, the project deployed "spring PV mounts" on a large scale for the first time nationwide, with unique adjustable expansion capability to handle ground changes.

Flexible mount project (Hainan): As one of Hainan's first fishery-PV complementary projects using flexible mounts, DAS Solar's solution not only accommodated both aquaculture and power generation but also withstood typhoons exceeding category 12, ensuring safe and stable operation.