🚀 Mainstream Product Innovations

In 2024, mainstream product upgrades were significant, centred on “faster, stronger, more convenient”.

AEROCOMPACT: Launched the foldable XT‑R hook, allowing one person to carry up to 20 units onto the roof, and featuring a quick‑release clamp that simplifies installation.

Unirac: Introduced new hooks with POWERArch Technology, increasing strength by up to 60% and compatible with multiple tile profiles.

NOVA: Launched the FLEXFIT hook, adjustable to two vertical positions to accommodate different roof heights.

Schletter: In cooperation with Rheinzink, launched the folding clamp 504 AL KK, specifically designed for titanium‑zinc standing seam roofs.

HQ Mount: Released a high‑strength aluminium hook with an 8 mm thick arm and a patented Click Holder for rapid rail attachment.

📜 Patent and Standard Developments

Patent filings and standardisation progressed in parallel, providing solid technical reserves and regulatory guidance for the industry.

Key players actively filed patents:

Trina Solar applied for a patent that reduces the difficulty of replacing individual PV tiles, using a special hanging device that allows independent replacement of a single PV tile.

Risen Energy obtained a patent for a tile hanging structure that incorporates a water diversion channel to effectively guide rainwater.

China Construction Fourth Engineering Bureau innovated with a “Z”‑shaped support that allows hooks to pass无损 through tile gaps without damaging the roof’s structural strength or waterproofing.

Major player enters the field:

Tesla filed a patent for a universal “PV roofing tile base”. The base can secure ordinary tiles and also receive and fix PV tiles with hooks through pre‑formed holes, aiming to enable mixed installation and seamless integration of PV and ordinary tiles.

Industry standards continued to improve:

The Ministry of Housing and Urban‑Rural Development issued the “General technical requirements for solar PV system mounts in buildings (revised draft for comments)”, signalling that future quality and safety requirements for PV mounts (including hooks) will be further raised.

Beijing, Ningbo and other localities also issued regional technical specifications such as “Installation and acceptance procedures for building PV systems”, providing more concrete guidance for project implementation in those areas.

🏗️ Representative Project Applications

New technologies were also validated in real projects. In Queensland, Australia, a 300 kW rooftop PV project successfully used a hook‑based mounting solution, demonstrating high efficiency and long‑term stability on complex roof conditions.

💡 Summary

In summary, 2024 was a year in which photovoltaic tile hook technology moved from “general‑purpose” toward “precision” and “intelligence”. The core trends are: faster installation (e.g., AEROCOMPACT‘s foldable and quick‑fit designs), stronger performance (e.g., Unirac’s strength‑enhancing technology), broader compatibility (e.g., adjustable hooks to suit different tile profiles), easier replacement (e.g., Trina Solar‘s new patent), and more complete standards.

📚 Additional Research Note

As supplementary information, a research team at the University of Waterloo in Canada published an interesting study in early 2025. They developed an open‑source novel solar tile design whose unique interlocking structure not only greatly simplifies installation steps but also increases installation efficiency by about 70%. It is expected to further lower the deployment threshold for solar roofs through distributed manufacturing models.