I. Global Solar Screw Pile Market Size Continues to Expand, Promising Growth Prospects

In 2022, the global screw pile market experienced significant growth. According to data released by the authoritative market research firm Verified Market Reports, the screw pile market (including helical piles) reached US$1.5 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow to US$2.8 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 8.5% between 2024 and 2030. This market growth is primarily driven by the increasing demand for sustainable and cost-effective foundation solutions, especially in renewable energy projects.

Looking at the solar pile sub-segment, the global solar pile market also shows strong growth potential. Market analysis reports from Spherical Insights indicate that the solar pile market can be divided by type into ground-mounted piles, screw piles, and driven piles, and by material into steel piles, aluminum piles, etc. Application areas cover utility, residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. As solar power projects continue to increase globally, demand for screw piles as an important foundation solution is steadily rising.

In the North American market, the screw pile market also exhibits steady growth. According to a DataBridge market research report, the North American screw pile market is expected to achieve a CAGR of 3.9% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2029. The increasing adoption of solar farms and agricultural construction is an important factor driving this market growth.

II. Continuous Technological Innovation, Significant Performance Improvements for Screw Piles

In 2022, the solar screw pile field saw a series of important technological innovations, achieving significant breakthroughs in improving load-bearing capacity, optimizing structural design, and adapting to complex geological conditions.

1. Vertical Wing Structure Technology Improves Lateral Load Capacity

In December 2022, the Northwest Engineering Corporation Limited of PowerChina publicly disclosed a patent titled "A PV Mounting Screw Pile with Vertical Wing Structure at the Upper Section and Its Application Method" (Publication No. CN115467323A). This technology adds a vertical wing structure to the upper section of the steel tube of a helical steel pile, significantly improving the lateral load capacity of the screw pile and reducing pile top displacement under lateral loads. This innovation can effectively reduce pile length, save construction materials, lower project costs, and enhance project economics.

2. Breakthrough in Screw Pile Technology for Tidal Flat PV Power Stations

Addressing special geological conditions such as tidal flats, patent technology from 2022 revealed a dedicated PV pile suitable for tidal flat PV power stations. The pile body adopts a hollow cylindrical design, with a smooth circular section at the top and a continuous spiral rib at the bottom. The length of the spiral rib is designed to be 2.5 to 3.0 meters with a pitch of 0.4 to 0.6 meters. During construction, the spiral rib at the lower part acts like a helical drill bit, effectively cutting through soft soil, allowing the pile to sink faster and improving construction efficiency. At the same time, this design effectively alleviates soil squeezing effects, solving problems commonly encountered with traditional prestressed pipe piles in tidal flat power stations, such as inconsistent elevation and pile body deviation.

3. Important Research Results on Frost Heave Resistance

In seasonally frozen soil regions at high latitudes and low altitudes, the impact of frost heave on PV mounting foundations has always been an engineering challenge. In 2022, academic research teams conducted systematic studies on the frost heave characteristics of steel screw piles for PV mounts through in-situ tests and numerical simulations. The results showed that within a helix spacing range of 500 to 700 mm, the annual frost heave value of the pile is approximately 6.08 to 7.73 mm. The study found that coating the pile body with an asphalt layer thicker than 10 mm can essentially eliminate frost heave, providing reliable technical guidance for screw pile design in cold region PV projects.

4. Collaborative Optimization of PV Tracking Systems and Screw Piles

In September 2022, FTC Solar released its new-generation 1P solar tracker system, "Pioneer". The innovative design of this system requires 18% to 36% fewer piles per megawatt compared to existing industry-leading solutions, significantly reducing capital expenditure and labor costs. The design allows the use of ground screw piles to overcome complex underground conditions, further expanding the application prospects of screw piles in large-scale PV projects.

III. Successful Large-Scale PV Project Practices Highlight Screw Pile Installation Efficiency Advantages

In 2022, several large-scale PV power generation projects successfully adopted screw piles as their foundation solution, fully verifying the reliability and efficiency of screw piles in large-scale projects.

Huaneng Jinchuan District Shuangwan 200 MW PV Power Generation Project

Located in the western extension area of the Tengger Desert, northeast of Jinchang City, Gansu Province, this project commenced construction on July 30, 2022. Covering an area of approximately 7,050 mu (about 470 hectares), the project consisted of 64 arrays, requiring the installation of over 159,000 steel screw piles. The screw piles were divided into two lengths (1.8 m and 2.2 m) according to terrain, used for mounting supports and PV modules. Starting in August 2022, the project team began screw pile laying and mechanical screwing operations. Each array required over 2,000 screw piles, with 700 to 800 piles installed per day, completing one array every two to three days on average. Although the construction site was located in a gobi desert with a thick sand layer on top and hard rock layer below, presenting extremely harsh conditions, the project team successfully completed all pile foundation construction through various mechanical tests and construction plan adjustments. After completion and operation, the project will provide approximately 360,000 MWh of clean electricity annually, saving about 110,000 tons of standard coal and reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 284,000 tons.

PV Project in Massachusetts, USA

In 2022, Terrasmart completed a screw pile foundation installation project for a 7.3 MW PV project in the town of Orange, Massachusetts, USA. The site presented complex conditions including a 21% north-south slope, rocky terrain, drainage ditches, and was also prone to flooding. Faced with these challenges, the construction team recommended ground screw piles with lengths of 2,600 to 2,900 mm and used specialized low-ground-pressure equipment to work in muddy conditions. Ultimately, the project team successfully installed 4,782 ground screw piles, completing all foundation installations within the scheduled timeframe, fully demonstrating the construction advantages of screw piles in complex terrain conditions.

Cost-Effectiveness Comparison: Screw Piles vs. Driven Piles

In 2022, industry experts conducted systematic cost-effectiveness comparisons between screw piles and driven piles. The analysis showed that although the initial material cost of screw piles is approximately 26% higher than that of driven pile systems, screw pile installation is faster — the number of screw piles installed per day is 40% higher than driven piles. More importantly, screw piles completely eliminate the risk of "refusal" (where a pile cannot be driven to the required depth), whereas driven piles require remedial treatment when refusal occurs in rocky or steep terrain, adding an average of about US$250 per pile for remediation. When refusal costs are included in the total cost, screw piles have a clear overall cost advantage under complex terrain conditions.

IV. Continued Favorable Policy Environment, High-Quality New Energy Development Injects New Momentum into Screw Pile Market

In 2022, China issued a series of policy measures at the national level to support the high-quality development of new energy, creating a favorable policy environment for the continued growth of the solar screw pile market.

In May 2022, the General Office of the State Council forwarded the "Implementation Plan for Promoting High-Quality Development of New Energy in the New Era" issued by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration. The plan explicitly stated the need to accelerate the construction of large-scale wind and PV power bases, with a focus on deserts, gobi, and barren lands, and to increase efforts in planning and building a new energy supply and consumption system based on large-scale wind and PV bases. The plan also required that by 2025, the rooftop PV coverage rate of new public institution buildings reach 50%, encouraging existing public institution buildings to install PV or solar thermal utilization facilities.

In November 2022, the NDRC issued the "Opinions on Further Improving the Policy Environment and Increasing Support for Private Investment", explicitly encouraging private enterprises to increase investment in energy-saving and carbon-reduction fields such as solar power, wind power, biomass power, and energy storage. These policy signals have brought broad market opportunities for the PV industry chain, including screw piles.

At the local level, cities such as Shanghai also issued special fund support measures for renewable energy and new energy development, granting feed-in tariff subsidies to project investors based