In 2023, the global solar photovoltaic industry continued its rapid growth. As the "skeleton" of solar power plants, PV mounting and tracking systems saw a dual explosion in technology and market demand. From rooftops to salt flats, from fixed mounts to smart trackers, the industry made deep strides in solving pain points and reducing costs.

Product & Technology Breakthroughs: Focus on an "Installation Revolution"

One of the most notable trends in the PV mounting industry in 2023 was the extreme simplification of installation methods.

In February, leading U.S. mounting supplier SnapNrack launched its "TopSpeed" rooftop mounting system at Intersolar North America. The system's biggest innovation is pre-assembly: installers can attach the mounts to PV modules on the ground, complete wiring, and then lift the entire assembly onto the roof. SnapNrack claimed the system could reduce rooftop labor time by more than 50% compared to conventional solutions, significantly improving safety when working at height.

Similarly, at the All-Energy Australia exhibition in November, Chinese PV mounting company Antai Solar introduced the "SnapFit" system for commercial and industrial applications. The system features a "snap-in" design with an elastic driving mechanism, allowing installers to complete all operations using just one M8 tool, also claiming up to 50% time savings.

Chinese companies also demonstrated strong R&D capabilities in 2023. From November to December, industry giants LONGi Green Energy and Trina Solar successively announced new mounting patents. LONGi's patent focused on a support truss structure to improve construction efficiency, while Trina Solar launched a "flexible cable solar tracker" structure that replaces traditional rigid beams with steel cables, offering lighter overall weight and flexible adaptation to complex terrain, significantly reducing construction costs.

Market Landscape: Tracker Shipments Surge, U.S. and China Dominate

According to a report from Wood Mackenzie, global PV tracker shipments reached 92 GW in 2023, a 28% year-over-year increase. Market concentration remained high, with the top ten suppliers accounting for 90% of global market share.

U.S. and Chinese companies performed particularly strongly in this sector. U.S.-based Nextracker retained the top spot with a 23% market share, followed by Array Technologies (16%) and GameChange Solar (12%). Among Chinese companies, Arctech and Trina Solar held 9% and 6% shares, respectively. Trina Solar also confirmed in its annual report that its cumulative mounting system shipments had exceeded 20 GW by the end of 2023.

In terms of end markets, the U.S. remained the largest single market at over 37 GW, driven by a surge in utility-scale projects thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Although tracker penetration in China remained relatively low, the tracker market still reached 4.3 GW within its 140 GW of centralized projects, indicating significant growth potential.

Application Scenarios Expand: From Salt Flats to Deserts

In 2023, the application scenarios for PV mounting expanded further, with large-scale projects realized in more challenging environments.

In April, smart energy technology giant SolarEdge announced the completion of a 77 MW ground-mounted power plant at the foot of Qigu Salt Mountain in Taiwan, China. The site was originally a 300-year-old salt field with highly corrosive conditions. The project utilized SolarEdge's DC optimized architecture, featuring M1600 power optimizers and 100 kW inverters, to solve the common problem of module mismatch in large power plants. According to estimates, this can save 40-50% on operation and maintenance costs.

Additionally, branding and full-industry-chain integration emerged as a new trend. In December, PowerChina held a new energy equipment brand launch event in Beijing, officially branding "PV mounting" as one of its core flagship products, marking the deeper involvement of state-owned enterprises in the standardization and brand building of this segment.