【Market Overview】
In 2023, the global rooftop photovoltaic mounting system market showed a complex and highly dynamic landscape. Despite facing short-term demand fluctuations in Europe, rising interest rates, and installation bottlenecks, the industry maintained resilient growth, driven by strong manufacturing and deployment capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region and policy support in the Americas. The market focus gradually shifted from a purely rooftop orientation to a more balanced development with ground‑mounted systems, while competition over materials (aluminum vs. galvanized steel) intensified.

【Key Data: Market Size & Regional Performance】

Overall Scale Continues to Expand: According to a 2023 report by market research firm Bizwit Research, the global PV mounting system market (including rooftop and ground‑mounted) was valued at approximately $22.2 million in 2023, with a projected high CAGR of 17.6% from 2024 to 2032. Another report focused on the commercial & industrial (C&I) sector (Global Market Insights) noted that the C&I solar PV mounting system market alone was worth $4.4 billion in 2023.

Solid Residential Market Foundation: The residential solar segment is the largest application for rooftop mounting systems. In 2023, the global residential solar module market exceeded $48.4 billion, with rooftop installations accounting for the vast majority, especially in South Africa (where the government introduced a rooftop solar tax rebate in February) and the United States.

Asia‑Pacific Dominance: In 2023, Asia‑Pacific continued to lead the market, with China, Japan, India, and South Korea being major contributors. China is not only the largest manufacturing hub but also a huge domestic distributed PV market that absorbs a significant volume of rooftop mounting systems.

【Industry Dynamics: Corporate Strategies & Market Fluctuations】

Diverging Performance of Giants: Ground‑Mounting Compensates for Weak Rooftop Market
In 2023, Schletter Group, a leading global manufacturer of mounting systems, experienced notable performance fluctuations. In the third quarter, due to challenges in the European rooftop market (high interest rates, a shortage of installers, and excess inventory from previous overstocking), its rooftop business declined. However, driven by a surge in large ground‑mounted projects, Schletter’s ground‑mount business achieved a 162% year‑on‑year increase in Q3 2023, with revenues reaching approximately €50 million, successfully offsetting the weakness in its rooftop segment.

Strategic shift: By the end of 2023, Schletter had achieved a balanced revenue structure, with ground‑mount revenues even “slightly exceeding” those of rooftop, meeting the company’s diversification target set at the beginning of the year.

Supply Chain & New Product Launches
To address fluctuating global demand, major players expanded capacity in 2023. Schletter announced that its factory in Turkey was ramping up rapidly, with plans to increase internal production capacity by 200% by 2024. In addition, new product development for niche markets (e.g., agrivoltaics and carport PV) advanced, indicating that rooftop mounting systems will extend to more diverse applications in the future.

【Challenges & Opportunities】

Challenges: In the second half of 2023, European distributors accumulated large PV system inventories (overstocking), which severely suppressed new orders. At the same time, grid connection bottlenecks and a shortage of skilled installers remained physical obstacles to rooftop project deployment.

Opportunities: Policy dividends from the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Europe’s REPowerEU plan began to materialize in 2023, providing long‑term policy certainty for rooftop PV installations in 2024 and beyond. In particular, in the C&I sector, demand for efficient and durable rooftop mounting systems continues to grow as companies seek to lower electricity costs.

【Material & Technology Trends】
In 2023, the rooftop mounting system market remained dominated by aluminum (lightweight, corrosion‑resistant – ideal for residential) and galvanized steel (high strength – suitable for large C&I rooftops). Fixed mounting systems held the largest share due to their cost‑effectiveness, but demand for tracking‑ready mounting systems for large C&I rooftop projects began to emerge.

【Outlook for 2024】
Industry analysts predicted at the end of 2023 that, with European inventory levels expected to return to normal by mid‑2024 and continued strength in the U.S. market, the rooftop PV mounting system market would recover in the second half of 2024. Companies with diversified product portfolios (covering both rooftop and ground‑mount) and global production footprints are expected to gain a competitive advantage in the future market.