1. Market Overview: PV Expansion Creates Strong Demand for Walkway Gratings

In 2022, newly installed PV capacity continued to rise globally and in China, with distributed PV projects growing particularly rapidly. For both rooftop distributed PV plants and large-scale ground-mounted PV plants, daily inspection, module cleaning, fault repair, and other maintenance work require safe and reliable access walkways. Solar walkway installation gratings emerged in this context and have become an indispensable component of PV power plants.

In terms of material selection, the mainstream solar walkway gratings in 2022 mainly included FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) gratings and hot-dip galvanized steel gratings. Each has its own advantages and is suitable for different application scenarios.

2. FRP Solar Walkway Gratings: Outstanding Lightweight and Corrosion Resistance

2.1 Material Properties and Core Advantages

FRP gratings use high-strength alkali-free glass fiber roving as reinforcement and thermosetting resin as the matrix, cast in special metal molds. Compared with traditional steel gratings, FRP gratings offer the following significant advantages:

Excellent corrosion resistance: FRP is inherently non-corrosive and resistant to acids, alkalis, and salt spray. It is especially suitable for corrosive environments such as chemical plants, water treatment plants, and coastal PV plants. In many 2022 PV projects, FRP gratings were widely used due to their outstanding weather resistance.

Reliable electrical insulation: PV systems are high-voltage environments. As a non-conductive material, FRP gratings effectively prevent electric shock and provide additional safety for maintenance personnel.

Lightweight design reduces roof load: FRP gratings are much lighter than steel products, greatly reducing structural stress on old factory buildings or roofs with low load-bearing capacity. This makes them especially suitable for PV retrofits on existing buildings.

Anti-slip design and rapid installation: FRP solar walkway systems include gratings and connecting accessories. They are easy to install without heavy machinery, significantly shortening the construction period.

2.2 Main Specifications

In 2022, mainstream FRP solar walkway gratings had mesh sizes such as 38mm×38mm, 40mm×40mm, 45mm×45mm, and 50mm×50mm, with thickness options of 25mm, 30mm, 38mm, etc. Panel sizes could be customized, with widths generally ranging from 30 cm to 100 cm to meet different roof layouts and load requirements. FRP gratings are also available in various colors (grey, yellow, blue, green, etc.), facilitating visual management and area division in PV plants.

3. Steel Grating Walkways: Traditional Advantages and Robust Load-Bearing Capacity

In addition to FRP materials, hot-dip galvanized steel gratings also held an important position in the 2022 PV walkway market. Steel gratings are made of low-carbon steel treated with hot-dip galvanizing and have the following features:

High strength and load capacity: Steel gratings have a stable structure and can withstand the passage of maintenance personnel and light equipment. They are suitable for large-scale ground-mounted PV plants and heavy-duty maintenance passages.

Good ventilation and drainage: The open grid design allows rainwater and debris to pass through naturally, avoiding water accumulation, keeping the walkway dry, and reducing slip risk.

Non-penetrating installation protects the roof: Clamping systems or adjustable brackets are used for installation without drilling, preserving the integrity of the roof waterproofing layer.

Reliable weather resistance: Hot-dip galvanizing provides good rust and corrosion protection, suitable for long-term outdoor exposure.

4. Typical Solar Walkway Grating Projects in 2022

4.1 Shendong Coal 3.0MWp Distributed PV Project (Shaanxi, China)

In April 2022, Shendong Coal Branch of China Shenhua Energy Co., Ltd. issued a tender for a 3.0MWp distributed PV power generation project at the No.2 Maintenance Factory industrial area. The project involved installing 5,550 540Wp monocrystalline silicon PV modules on approximately 56,097.6 square meters of factory roof. It explicitly required the installation of grating walkways on the roof, with a walkway width of 0.8 meters, to facilitate construction and later inspection/maintenance. This project fully demonstrated the strong demand for grating walkways in large industrial rooftop PV and became a landmark case for grating walkways in distributed PV in 2022.

4.2 Fujian Sanming Jiangle Rural Revitalization Walkway 6.6MW Distributed PV Project

In December 2022, Huadian Fujian Company launched the tender for the Jiangle Rural Revitalization Walkway 6.6MW distributed PV power generation project. The project involved constructing a corridor above the walkway, with a total length of 5,835 meters and an area of 33,435 square meters. The scope included the detailed design, fabrication, and anti-corrosion coating of the steel structure. This project is an innovative integration of "PV + Rural Revitalization". The PV walkway corridor both generates clean energy and provides shaded public space for the village.

4.3 AMROCK FRP Roof Walkway System

In January 2022, AMROCK launched an FRP roof walkway system designed specifically for the rooftop solar industry. The system provides a non-slip, safe, all-weather access route for solar panel maintenance and personnel passage in frequently accessed areas, while avoiding unnecessary damage to the roof. The system requires no maintenance and is corrosion-resistant, becoming a notable solar walkway solution in European and American markets in 2022.

4.4 UISOLAR FRP Solar Walkway Promotion

In May 2022, UISOLAR promoted its FRP solar walkway products, emphasizing their acid/alkali corrosion resistance, good insulation, and easy installation. These products were widely used in corrosive environments such as power plants, chemical plants, water treatment plants, and oil platforms. Together with gratings and connecting accessories, they provided a systematic solution for PV roof maintenance safety.

5. Global Synergistic Development of Solar Walkway Lighting

It is worth noting that in 2022, the solar walkway field extended beyond grating products. Major solar walkway lighting projects also emerged:

Montrose, Colorado, USA: In October 2022, the Montrose Parks Department replaced old walkway lighting with solar-powered units, eliminating underground wiring needs, reducing maintenance and energy costs, and lowering environmental carbon emissions.

Goulburn, Australia: In June 2022, Melbourne-based Leadsun completed Australia's largest public solar lighting project, installing 160 solar luminaires along 10 km of walkways and bike paths.

Slough, UK: In July 2022, Slough Borough Council installed 16 ASTRAL solar lighting columns to provide illumination for walkways in the Chalvey recreation area, projected to reduce CO2 emissions by 18.4 tonnes over 25 years.

Industrial Park, Eastern China: In 2022, a large industrial park in eastern China upgraded 647 solar street light systems covering internal roads, storage areas, employee walkways, and entrance gates, reducing annual lighting energy costs by 65%.

These projects not only validated the cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits of solar walkway lighting but also opened up broader possibilities for integrated applications of solar walkway gratings and lighting systems.

6. Industry Trends and Future Outlook

Looking ahead, the solar walkway installation grating market will continue to grow rapidly. According to market research data, the global steel grating market size was estimated at USD 181.23 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 225.95 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of 4.51%. The global solar traffic products market reached RMB 26.406 billion in 2022, with the Chinese market at RMB 10.174 billion.

FRP gratings, as an emerging material, are gaining penetration in the PV walkway field due to their comprehensive advantages of light weight, corrosion resistance, electrical insulation, and anti-slip safety. Industry experts point out that as large-scale PV plants are commissioned and operated, the maintenance needs of existing plants will drive the walkway grating market to extend from new installation support to retrofit of existing plants, further expanding market space.

At the same time, cross-sector integration models such as "PV + Rural Revitalization", "PV + Public Facilities", and "PV + Transportation" will open up more diverse application scenarios for solar walkway gratings. The Fujian Sanming Jiangle walkway corridor project in 2022 is a typical example of this trend, indicating the broad prospects for PV walkways in public spaces and rural construction.