Image: Unsplash The estimated additional demand for steel for photovoltaic brackets in 2023 is about 4.85 million tons. Photovoltaic brackets are referred to as the "skeleton" of photovoltaic power plants. They are special structural components designed to support, fix, and rotate photovoltaic modules in photovoltaic power generation systems. Together with photovoltaic modules, combiner boxes, inverters, and other core equipment, they form the photovoltaic power generation system. As an important supporting structure in the photovoltaic system, its core requirements are safety and ease of installation. Solar mounting systems are mainly composed of columns, main beams, purlins, welding parts, and foundations. They can be divided into fixed brackets and tracking brackets based on whether the angle can be freely adjusted later. Among them, fixed brackets can be further divided into fixed brackets and fixed adjustable brackets, and tracking brackets can be divided into single-axis tracking brackets and dual-axis tracking brackets. The market size of the photovoltaic bracket industry expands with the growth of photovoltaic installed capacity. The overseas tracking bracket industry started early, with mature technology and higher recognition downstream. At the same time, the construction of large domestic projects and other factors have brought broad market prospects for the application of tracking brackets, which are expected to penetrate rapidly. According to the forecast of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, assuming a capacity ratio of 1.2, the global penetration rates of tracking brackets from 2022 to 2025 are projected to be 60%, 64%, 68%, and 72% respectively. Assuming the average selling price of brackets changes by 0%, -3%, -2%, and -2% based on 2020, the total market size of brackets (tracking + fixed) in 2021 is estimated to be approximately 66.5 billion yuan, and is expected to reach 117.7 billion yuan by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 15.4%. The market size of tracking brackets in 2021 is estimated to be around 31.4 billion yuan, and is expected to reach 65.1 billion yuan by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 20.0%. The compound annual growth rate of the tracking bracket industry in the next five years will be higher than that of the fixed bracket industry.

Image: Pv-tech According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), solar manufacturing jobs in the US are expected to more than triple in the next decade. Currently, the solar manufacturing industry provides around 35,000 jobs. However, with the US government's increased production efforts and significant investments in expanding domestic solar manufacturing capacity, this number is projected to reach 120,000 jobs by 2033. In Dalton, Georgia, Qcells plans to enhance its solar module assembly capacity by 2GW. An investment of US$2.5 billion will support the entire supply chain and create over 2,500 jobs. By 2024, the company's total solar panel production capacity in Georgia will reach 8.4GW. Additionally, in Cartersville, Georgia, Hanwha Advanced Materials Georgia (HAGA) will construct a new manufacturing facility for producing encapsulants, which are used to seal solar cells and ensure their durability. These encapsulants will be supplied to QCells for use in their module production. The Cartersville facility is expected to bring in US$147 million in private investment and generate 160 jobs within the industry. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp stated, "Since we first welcomed Qcells to our state in 2018, we've announced more than 4,000 related jobs for Georgians." Furthermore, in Memphis, Tennessee, PV tracker supplier Nextracker has collaborated with MSS Steel Tubes USA to establish a new factory specializing in the production of low-carbon steel torque tubes for solar tracking systems. These torque tubes play a crucial role in efficiently rotating PV modules for optimal sunlight absorption. This factory will create 129 jobs and contribute to millions of dollars in local economic investment. It will also support projects across multiple states, including Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, and Georgia. The expansion of the solar manufacturing industry, coupled with the development of solar mounting systems, demonstrates the growing significance of the solar sector in job creation, economic growth, and sustainable energy efforts within the United States.

Despite the pressure the pandemic has placed on supply chains and income levels, the number of people who source electricity from solar energy kits has continued to grow and has now reached 490 million. According to the “Off-Grid Solar Market Trends Report 2022: State of The Sector” report – published by the World Bank’s Lighting Global, International Finance Corp. (IFC), GOGLA, Efficiency for Access Coalition, and Open Capital Advisors – the number of people who use solar energy kits had grown by 70 million by the end of 2021, up from 420 million in 2019. The report attributes this result to continued sales, the longer lifespan of larger products, and current customers beginning to move up the “clean energy staircase.” This is where they have paid off or made savings from their initial solar energy kit and are able to purchase a new, often larger product and additional services. For instance, 3.8 million customers have gained access to solar TVs in 2020 and 2021. The adverse effects of the pandemic were most pronounced in 2020, translating into a 22% decline in solar energy kit sales. However, in 2021, the off-grid solar sector bounced back with a 10% increase in sales, the report finds. In pursuit of universal energy access by 2030, off-grid solar technologies are expected to play a critical role as population growth, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the report, off-grid solar represents the cheapest solution for 41% of new household connections between 2020 and 2030. But for many homes and businesses, the price of solar panel mounting systems remains prohibitive. The pandemic has also exacerbated the affordability challenge in the form of declining income levels and job losses. Therefore, the availability of consumer financing options, such as PAYGo, has never been more important. Assuming consumer finance is readily available, between 177 million to 277 million currently unconnected people are still unable to afford a Tier 1 solar energy kit, the report shows. In the absence of consumer finance, affordability levels drop even further. That is to say, of 733 million unconnected people around the world, only between 3 million and 167 million could afford to buy a Tier 1 multi-light and charging system upfront. “This indicates that end-user financing is essential to provide the poorest population with Tier 1 energy access, but that PAYGo is not sufficient to close the affordability gap,” the report said. Meanwhile, investments into the solar panel manufacturers continued to grow, surpassing $2.3 billion since 2012. However, most of the finance went to seven companies operating at scale, while those in their seed and start-up phase have found attracting financing more difficult. From 2016 to 2020, the industry saw yearly investment volumes plateauing between $300 million and $350 million, before reaching $457 million in 2021. This year is set to be another record-breaking year, the report states. In other findings, the report foun...

Germany's Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) has launched a request for expressions of interest (EoI) in a bid to boost the country's solar PV manufacturing supply chain. The goal is to build up 10GW of solar PV manufacturing per year across the entire value chain, from silicon to modules, with a capacity of at least 2GW per year for modules alone. The EoI aims to encourage companies to set up manufacturing facilities in Germany and thereby increase the country's domestic solar manufacturing capacity. The BMWK has set forth a few requirements, such as a module efficiency higher than 24% and the use of recyclable materials in the manufacturing process. So far, the response to the EoI has been positive, with many companies expressing interest in setting up production facilities in Germany. This move towards domestic solar manufacturing is critical for Germany's economic security, according to Robert Habeck, Federal Economics and Climate Protection Minister. He stated that Germany needs its own production capacities for central transformation technologies and that this is not only a question of economic reason but also one of economic security. The EU's new subsidy framework offers opportunities for this, and Germany aims to take advantage of them. Starting with photovoltaics, the country hopes to establish permanent photovoltaic production in Germany by financially supporting lighthouse projects. This not only strengthens our technological sovereignty but also our energy-political sovereignty. Germany has long been one of the leading European countries in terms of solar technology, with companies such as Wacker Chemie, Meyer Burger, and Aiko Solar investing in research and development facilities in the country. In addition to this, the country is also a key market for solar mounting systems. German companies, such as Schletter and Renusol, are some of the leading solar mounting system manufacturers in the world. As solar technology evolves, the importance of the solar panel mounting systems increases. The mounting system serves as a critical link between the solar panel, which generates power, and the building's structure. In conclusion, Germany's efforts to boost domestic solar manufacturing capacity will help to ensure the country's energy security, while also nurturing its technological sovereignty. With innovation in solar panel technology growing by leaps and bounds, the country's solar panel manufacturers could be at the forefront of the next wave of progress in the worldwide shift towards renewable energy sources. article reposted from pv-tech.org

Image: Aiko Solar Chinese solar cell manufacturer Aiko Solar has signed a 1.3GW supply agreement with German solar and energy storage wholesaler Memodo at Intersolar. Under the agreement, Memodo will distribute its N-type all-black contact modules throughout Europe. Memodo’s founder and CEO Tobias Wenleder said that the collaboration between Memodo and Aiko Solar was based on “continuous exploration of market development and the relentless pursuit of innovative technologies and product”. “Our collaboration in the field of clean energy will be strengthened and more innovative,” he added. According to Aiko Solar, the efficiency and quality of its products, in addition to production scale and its R&D level, were the reasons for forming the partnership between the two companies. The company added that its self-developed ABC modules had passed testing laboratory’s TÜV SÜD test certification, with the highest efficiency reaching 24.27% and the delivery efficiency reaching 24%. “We are proud to have established a strong partnership with an excellent local partner like Memodo and supply high-quality PV products to customers in the European market. This collaboration will bring a long-term impact and help realise a zero-carbon society,” said Chen Gang, Aikosolar’s chairman and general manager. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the production of solar pv mounting systems in China is also recognized in the international market. Chinese roof mounting systems and ground mounting systems characterized by low cost, high reliability, and easy installation, which are highly favored by overseas customers and have a large export volume. Adapted from PV-tech

NTPC Ltd., an energy company under India's Ministry of Energy, has been selected by the ISA as a consultant to launch an auction in Cuba for 60 MW of PV capacity. Prospective developers have until July 20 to submit bids. The selected bidders are required to develop photovoltaic solar roof mounting projects under a construction, ownership, and operation model. They will design, finance, construct, install, and operate the plants, selling electricity to local utility Unión Eléctrica de Cuba (UNE) through a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The Cuban authorities will assign six projects in Placetas (25 MW), Cifuentes (10 MW), Santa Clara (5 MW), Santa Clara (5 MW), Sagua (10 MW), and Corralillo (5 MW) through the tender process. Bidders have the option to submit a single fixed rate for one or more projects, with separate fees for each project. This tender is part of Cuba's goal to install 2,100 MW of PV capacity by 2030. As part of this program, The ISA, through NTPC Limited, will also tender solar parks with a capacity of 1,150 MW in 175 locations across 15 provinces, along with 150 MW/150 MWh battery energy storage systems (BESS) equally distributed in three provinces. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Cuba had 258 MW of installed solar pv mounting systems by the end of 2022.

Caltech researchers working on the MAPLE experiment. Credit: Ali Hajimiri A satellite launched by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has successfully received and transmitted solar power back to Earth, the first time solar power has been transmitted to Earth in this manner. Researchers launched the satellite, known as the Space Solar Power Demonstrator, on 3 January this year, which has tested a number of processes and components. Chief among these is the microwave array for power-transfer low-orbit experiment (MAPLE), an array of flexible lightweight power transmitters placed one foot away from two separate receiver arrays on the demonstrator, which receive light from the sun. The MAPLE array received sunlight, converted it to direct current and fed the current through the transmitters to light up a pair of lights on the satellite. Critically, these transmitters also transferred energy back to Earth, where Caltech researchers detected the transmitted energy via a receiver on the roof of the university’s Gordon and Betty Moore Laboratory of Engineering, demonstrating that solar power can be gathered in space, and transmitted to Earth. “Through the experiments we have run so far, we received confirmation that MAPLE can transmit power successfully to receivers in space,” said Ali Hajimiri, Bren professor of electrical engineering and medical engineering and co-director of the Space Solar Power Project, of which the MAPLE array is a part. “We have also been able to program the array to direct its energy toward Earth, which we detected here at Caltech. We had, of course, tested it on Earth, but now we know that it can survive the trip to space and operate there.” The researchers also announced that the signal received on Earth appeared “at the expected time and frequency”, and that it matched the frequency shift that the team had expected. The MAPLE array was also not sealed, exposing it and its transmissions to the environmental conditions of space, such as large temperature swings and the presence of solar radiation, so the success of the experiment is encouraging on a number of fronts. Space-based solar power is an exciting concept for the solar industry, with solar panels built in space not limited by many of the conditions present on Earth. Space-based solar panels would not have their effective hours limited by the day-night cycle experienced on Earth, and there is vastly more room to build and operate facilities. The sector has received considerable attention in recent years, with a Japanese project led by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry aiming to demonstrate the transfer of power from space to the Earth by 2025. Historically, satellites have been used for data collection and analysis in the solar sector, but with Caltech’s MAPLE work demonstrating the efficacy of space-based power transfer, and earlier than other groups expected, transmitting solar power directly from space could see greater interest in the future. T...

Polytechnology Thailand President, Narratchai Leeraphant, says solar’s strong uptake in the country means the market is ready for next-generation technology, namely, batteries, electric vehicle chargers, solar optimizers, and “full stack” product bundles. Recent changes to Thai safety standards and regulations for PV mounting systems rapid shutdown will make optimizers a growing trend in the country, Leeraphant says, adding, “So we can up our sell, from only inverters to inverters plus optimizers, for which our solution is the most advanced in the market.” rooftop solar mounting systems is so established in Thailand that it is already tricky to install more solar support structures in some areas, Leeraphant says, so technology to store and use the resultant abundance of green energy is increasingly required. Polytechnology has been partnering with Huawei since 2014, starting as the brand’s inverter distributer in Thailand and today offering the latter’s range of battery energy storage systems and data-center products. Discussing battery systems, Leeraphant says, “Polytechnology and Huawei have dealt with price, customer expectation, and what current battery technology can offer.” He says the next step is to ramp up educating the market about safety standards and the value of advanced battery technology, to bring the energy storage market to maturity.

Image: Encore Renewable Energy Wood Mackenzie's latest study reveals that as global consumers and developers of solar energy continue to increase their demand, China's exports of photovoltaic products keep rising. To a certain extent, this is due to China's advantages of low energy costs, significant scale advantages, and government support, which make Chinese manufactured solar modules highly competitive in comparison to other markets. PV mounting systems and other related products, as key solar energy systems components, also benefit from this growth trend. The research shows that Chinese module exports increased from 108GW in 2021 to 154GW last year, with a growth rate of 42%. The cost of PV modules manufactured in China was 57% lower than that of PV modules produced in the United States and Europe. This has had a positive impact on the market demand for PV mounting systems and other related products from China. China’s local module manufacturing cost last year was only US$0.24 per watt, significantly lower than the US (US$0.56), Europe (US$0.52), and India (US$0.33). Southeast Asia’s manufacturing cost was close to China as it stood at US$0.26 per watt. Without subsidies, solar module manufacturing in the United States and Europe cannot compete with China. As the Chinese photovoltaic industry grows, market demand for PV mounting systems and other related products is expected to remain strong. Image: Xcel Wood Mackenzie predicts that by 2026, China's export capacity for upstream wafers and cells will grow to over 230GW, higher than the global market demand (excluding China) of 170GW. In addition, China's available module export capacity is also expected to gradually grow to 149GW by 2026. This suggests that the global market share of Chinese-branded PV mounting systems and related products is likely to expand further. Despite attempts by the United States, European Union, and Indian policies to challenge China's dominance in the photovoltaic manufacturing sector, the Chinese photovoltaic industry appears to maintain a sustainable growth trajectory, driven by factors such as market scale and supply chain advantages. The continuous increase in demand for PV mounting systems and other vital products provides Chinese companies with ongoing growth opportunities.