In the cost structure of PV systems, the importance of solar mounting brackets is second only to PV modules, and demand continues to rise alongside the global surge in PV installations. Driven by technological innovation, policy support, and market demand, the global solar mounting bracket industry demonstrated robust development momentum in 2022. This article comprehensively reviews the market performance, technological trends, policy environment, and future outlook for the solar mounting bracket industry in 2022.

Market Overview: Industry Recovery and Scale Expansion

After an adjustment period from 2018 to 2020, the PV mounting bracket industry experienced a strong recovery in 2021, with year-on-year growth of approximately 51.91% and a market size reaching RMB 17.5 billion. Entering 2022, this growth trend continued, with the annual market size expected to reach RMB 19 billion.

In terms of production volume, China's PV mounting bracket production scale reached 178.41 GW in 2022, a year-on-year increase of about 16.41%. Domestic demand was approximately 65.16 GW, while a large number of PV mounting brackets were exported overseas, resulting in net exports of about 112.74 GW.

In the tendering market, according to statistics from Polar Solar Power Network, from January to August 2022, the procurement volume for mounting brackets by domestic PV power station developers exceeded 35.5 GW. State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC), PowerChina, and China Datang Corporation ranked among the top in tender volume. Private enterprises also gradually entered the market, with a total bracket tender capacity of 800 MW. A total of 70 enterprises won bids, with Jiangsu Guoqiang XingSheng, Arctech Solar, and subsidiaries of PowerChina ranking in the top three.

Technological Innovation: Accelerated Penetration of Tracking Brackets

In 2022, tracking brackets became the core driver of industry growth. Tracking brackets adjust their angle as the sun's incident angle changes, maximizing power generation. Data show that compared to fixed brackets, tracking brackets typically achieve a 5% to 35% increase in power generation yield. When paired with bifacial modules, the effect is even greater than "1+1>2."

In terms of penetration rate, domestic tracking bracket penetration increased from 18.7% in 2020 to 21.56% in 2021, and is expected to further reach 23% in 2022. Globally, tracking bracket penetration rose from 16.4% in 2016 to 34.1% in 2020. Multiple institutions forecast that by 2025, the total market size for mounting brackets could reach RMB 117.7 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.4%. Within this, the tracking bracket market size is expected to reach RMB 65.1 billion, with a CAGR of 20.0%, outpacing fixed brackets.

In 2022, several companies launched innovative products. At the Intersolar Europe 2022 exhibition, Antai New Energy unveiled its flagship tracking bracket product – the Yuguang SPACE. As the world's longest multi-rotor single-axis 1P independent tracking system, it effectively reduces bracket system costs by up to 18% and incorporates an innovative infinite extension design, reaching a maximum length of 240 meters. Trina Solar also upgraded its tracking product line, offering a brand-new intelligent solution for PV power stations that integrates "high-reliability brackets + intelligent control systems + smart cloud platforms + localized innovative services."

In December 2022, Ruizhi Zhonghe launched a rigid bracket with flexible drive, a full-drive intelligent tracking system. Its unique flexible drive technology fundamentally resolves industry pain points such as wind-induced resonance, making it the only brand in China to receive a "no wind resonance risk at wind speeds below 60 m/s" rating from the internationally renowned wind engineering laboratory CPP.

Flexible Brackets: A Solution for Complex Terrain

In 2022, PV flexible brackets became a market focus due to their characteristics of "high clearance and large span." Flexible brackets are a large-span PV module support structure formed by pre-stressed flexible cables fixed at both ends. The span of cable structures typically ranges from 20 to 40 meters, reaching up to 100 meters, with modules installed 2 to 30 meters above the ground.

Compared to traditional fixed brackets, flexible brackets offer outstanding features including safety and reliability, high cost-effectiveness, strong adaptability, and convenient construction. They are particularly suitable for PV installations over fish ponds, complex hillside land, sewage treatment plants, tidal flats, and irrigation canals. The self-developed PV flexible bracket system by the new energy team of Changjiang Institute of Survey, Planning, Design and Research (CISPDR) has been successfully applied in Guangxi with positive results. Over 10 patents have been filed related to this technology, and the application scale is expected to exceed 100 MW in 2022.

Policy Drivers: Rising Global Demand for PV Mounting Brackets

Continued Policy Support in China

Driven by the "dual carbon" goals and energy transition, China's PV industry is developing vigorously. As a core component of PV power generation systems, PV mounting brackets belong to the strategic emerging new energy industry that the state prioritizes for cultivation and development. In 2022, China successively issued several policies, including the "Opinions on Accelerating the Development of New-type Building Industrialization," providing guidance for building-integrated PV (BIPV), especially rooftop PV, and continuously promoting demonstration projects for building-integrated PV, thereby driving sustained demand for PV mounting brackets.

Impact of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

On August 16, 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden formally signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a total of USD 750 billion, with nearly USD 370 billion dedicated to climate investment – described as "the most aggressive clean energy package in American history."

The impact of the Act on the PV mounting bracket industry is twofold: First, the Act provides a 30% investment tax credit (ITC) for equipment and facility investments, with the same duration as the basic ITC policy, and offers direct investment tax credits for specific segments of the PV manufacturing chain, effective from 2022 to 2029. Second, the Act stipulates that if companies meet "Made in America" requirements, they may receive an additional 10% tax credit, incentivizing faster localization of PV manufacturing segments including mounting brackets.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the tax credits provided by the Act could incentivize U.S. PV module manufacturing capacity to exceed 30 GW. SEIA also stated that the Act would serve as a powerful catalyst for achieving the goal of "solar energy accounting for 30% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030."

Global Policy Coordination

In its December 2022 analysis report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) noted that the high geographic concentration of the global PV supply chain has prompted the EU, India, and the U.S. to introduce policy incentives to support local PV production. Recent policy actions in India and the U.S. aim to enhance the competitiveness of local manufacturing through subsidies and tax credits, while the EU is also considering similar measures. This global policy coordination provides strong support for the long-term development of the solar mounting bracket industry.

Competitive Landscape: Many Contenders

In 2022, China's PV mounting bracket market was highly competitive. According to statistics, there are more than 10,000 enterprises engaged in PV mounting bracket business in China, with over 1,000 achieving mass production.

Major players include Arctech Solar (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Guoqiang Galvanizing Industrial Co., Ltd., Jinhai Xinyuan Electric Group, and Clenergy (Xiamen) Technology Co., Ltd. As an industry leader, Arctech had accumulated nearly 40 GW of installed capacity by the end of 2021, successfully completing nearly 1,300 projects in more than 40 countries and regions worldwide.

Jiangsu Guoqiang XingSheng performed particularly well in 2022, securing a total of 7.05 GW of bracket orders from Huadian, Huaneng, and SPIC, and successfully being included in the supplier lists of several central state-owned enterprises. The company already has an annual bracket manufacturing capacity of 24 GW and plans to reach 35 GW by the end of 2022.

Trina Solar entered the bracket field by acquiring Spanish tracking bracket company Nclave. In 2022, its full-year bracket shipments were expected to achieve over 50% growth.

Major Projects and Benchmark Cases

In 2022, several landmark projects were successfully connected to the grid or began construction, demonstrating the practical value of solar mounting brackets.

The world's largest hydro-solar hybrid power station – the Kela PV Power Station of SDIC Yalong River Hydropower – officially began construction on July 8, 2022. With an installed capacity of 1 million kW, the project uses both horizontal single-axis tracking brackets and fixed PV brackets, requiring 25,000 tons of steel, approximately 80,000 sets of fixed brackets, and over 20 million fastening bolts.

In June 2022, the 150 MW centralized PV power generation project of Yugu Ganling New Energy in Yugan County, Jiangxi Province, achieved full grid connection. As the largest water surface horizontal single-axis tracking bracket PV project in Jiangxi Province, the project incorporates an intelligent astronomical algorithm-driven automatic tracking bracket system that significantly improves the power generation output of the PV system.

Antai New Energy completed the Huaren · Chibi Riyue 350 MW fishery-PV hybrid power generation project in Chibi City, Hubei Province. It is the largest fishery-PV hybrid project in Hubei Province, expected to provide approximately 460 million kWh of clean energy annually.

The Pan-Da Expressway distributed PV power station project jointly undertaken by Trina Solar and Shudao Group Shuxing Intelligent Company is the first national pilot project utilizing expressway abandoned soil sites for "intelligent tracking PV system + high-standard farmland construction" composite utilization. Through intelligent tracking systems, it achieves a 10% to 15% increase in power generation yield.