I. Global PV Mounting Market Continues to Expand, Ballast System Becomes Key Segment

In 2022, the global PV mounting industry maintained strong growth momentum. According to an industry research report released by Beijing Jingyan Zhijing, global PV mounting shipments reached approximately 210.5GW in 2021, a year-on-year increase of about 67.44% from 2020, with the market size growing to approximately RMB 58.216 billion. Driven by the broad prospects of global renewable energy, the institution forecasts that by 2025, global PV mounting shipments will exceed 450GW, with market demand expected to reach about 750GW.

Among various PV mounting products, the ballasted mounting system has gained increasingly important status in the commercial flat-roof distributed PV market due to its advantages of not damaging the roof structure, flexible installation, and high reusability. According to the PV mounting trend report released at Intersolar Europe 2022, the industry is moving towards aerodynamic optimization, low ballast weight, and tool-free installation. Especially for commercial flat roofs, low-ballast, aerodynamically optimized mounting systems are becoming increasingly popular.

II. International Large-scale Projects: Ballast Mounting System Validated by the Market

2.1 Canada's Largest Urban Solar Project: 92MW Ballast Ground Mount

In July 2022, Canadian PV mounting manufacturer Polar Racking announced it would supply its PRU ballasted fixed-tilt mounting system and structural engineering services for two large-scale solar projects in Calgary – Deerfoot Solar and Barlow Solar. The two projects have capacities of 55MW DC and 37MW DC respectively, totaling 92MW DC (or 64MW AC), making them the largest solar projects built in a major Canadian city center to date.

The project will use 175,000 bifacial solar modules installed on Polar's ballasted ground fixed mounts. It is estimated that these facilities will generate enough clean energy annually to power more than 18,000 homes and offset about 68,000 tons of carbon emissions.

Polar Racking stated that the ballasted fixed ground mounting system became the optimal solution for these sites due to its robust and durable design. Construction was expected to begin within 2022.

2.2 SM Group's 4.5MW Rooftop PV in the Philippines: GS-BAPV Ballast Mounting System

In December 2022, Chinese PV mounting manufacturer GraceSolar announced that the 4.5MW rooftop distributed PV power station it built for three shopping malls under Philippine commercial giant SM Group was nearing completion, with GraceSolar as the exclusive PV mounting supplier.

The project selected the GS-BAPV system – a rooftop ballast mounting system – a new generation of commercial & industrial rooftop ballast solution featuring safety, reliability, economy, applicability, convenience, and aesthetics.

Notably, the Philippines has high wind speeds, imposing higher requirements on rooftop ballast stability. GraceSolar's technical team specifically upgraded and optimized the design, effectively reducing the weight of concrete ballast blocks while achieving stable fixation of the mounting system.

GraceSolar not only completed product supply quickly but also dispatched a professional technical team to provide on-site service guidance, effectively promoting project efficiency. SM Philippines President Hans T. Sy stated that SM Group is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its shopping malls and maximizing energy efficiency, and rooftop distributed PV is a new form of clean energy utilization to achieve this goal.

III. Technological Innovation Breakthrough: Lightweight Ballast System Leads Industry Transformation

In 2022, technological R&D in ballast mounting systems also made significant progress. Notably, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $1.15 million through its SBIR program to fund the development of an innovative lightweight ballast mounting system.

The developed PV system uses an innovative PV module frame and integrated folding bracket structure. Compared to traditional PV systems, the bracket material cost can be reduced by 50%, deployment time shortened to one-fifth, and the system's weight load is less than 40% of traditional systems. This means that buildings previously unable to install PV due to insufficient roof load capacity now have a new solution.

In addition, through innovative frame and bracket material selection, the solution eliminates the need for module and bracket grounding, saving significant costs and eliminating permanent safety hazards. The project team plans to conduct wind tunnel research and finite element analysis in the second phase to further optimize system geometry, and manufacture full-scale prototypes for testing and validation.

At the commercial product level, multiple companies also launched new-generation ballast mounting solutions in 2022. In July 2022, GraceSolar released a new ballast mounting product featuring fewer components, lighter structure, and greater flexibility. Solar panels can be installed in arrays on flat roofs without roof penetration, and all components are highly pre-assembled and pre-cut before leaving the factory, effectively improving installation efficiency.

Mibet Energy simultaneously launched its Two Sides Ballast Mounting System, achieving high wind resistance and fast on-site installation through concrete and patented structural design. The unique two-sided matrix design eliminates the need for additional wind deflectors, reducing structural cost and weight, and can use concrete blocks or gravel as ballast.

IV. Industry Trends: Low Ballast Weight, Aerodynamic Optimization Become Mainstream Direction

According to the industry trend report released at Intersolar Europe 2022, the core development directions for PV mounting systems in 2022 focused on: more flexible, modular, simpler, lighter, while simultaneously being robust, high load-bearing capacity, and durable.

For commercial flat roof applications, the industry trend clearly points to aerodynamically optimized, low-ballast bracket structures that can be installed without tools and without roof penetration. The latest generation of mounting systems is also typically designed to accommodate higher-power PV modules (length 1500-2100mm, width 980-1150mm) and uses clamping locking devices or integrated tilt joints instead of screws for module installation, avoiding mechanical stress damage and performance degradation to PV modules.

Regarding roof protection, the bracket base is usually fitted with protective pads, such as rubber granule structural protection pads or polyester protective felt, ensuring stable support without damaging the roof covering. At the same time, the design must ensure rainwater can drain smoothly from flat roofs, avoiding water accumulation that would increase roof load.

V. Domestic Market (China): Distributed PV Boom Drives Mounting Demand Growth

In 2022, China's distributed PV market received both policy and market tailwinds. With the implementation of the county-wide distributed PV pilot program and the full-scale construction of large wind/PV bases, domestic PV installations experienced explosive growth, which also stimulated high-speed growth in PV mounting shipments.

At the technical standard level, in July 2022, the China Photovoltaic Industry Association released the "Technical Guidelines for Design and Installation of Photovoltaic Flexible Mounting Systems" (T/CPIA 0047-2022), specifying terminology, design and installation principles, load action combinations, structural systems, component design, connection nodes, foundations, corrosion protection, installation and correction, cable installation, etc., providing important guidance for the standardized development of the mounting industry.

At the project practice level, domestic mounting companies such as Antai New Energy actively participated in technical seminars and promotion of distributed PV projects. In August 2022, Antai New Energy demonstrated its technical solutions for flat roof ballast design at the Fujian Distributed PV Seminar, offering customized ballast design solutions for different roof load capacities and pre-installing system components to improve installation efficiency.

In addition, Antai New Energy launched the "Taiyang Ding" all-aluminum BIPV product, which features lightweight, high strength, long life, 100% waterproofing, and simple installation compared to ordinary BIPV products. The installation process is simplified into three steps: "place, press, and click", achieving preventive, lightweight, and customized operation and maintenance.