The North American PV mounting systems market is poised to grow 67% between 2013 and 2018 to account for more than $1.5 billion, according to a new report from Miami-based Wolf Research. This market value growth will be strongest in the rooftop segment.
According to the report, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2013-2018 for the flat roof-mount market – primarily commercial buildings – will be 17.5%. For the pitched roof-mount market, the CAGR is expected to be 16.1%.
By contrast, ground-mount, the dominant segment in 2013, will experience slower growth during the next five years as utility-scale solar energy projects slow down, but is expected to still account for 37% of the revenue opportunity in 2018, Wolf Research says.
‘The need to speed up installations and reduce total PV system cost is critical for market growth,’ says Wolfgang Schlichting, executive research director at Wolf Research and lead author of the report." Mounting systems vendors address this need with simpler, more integrated designs of their still durable solutions.’
According to the report, the top three market share leaders for PV mounting systems in North America during the first half of 2013 were Schletter, Unirac and IronRidge in terms of MW capacity of supported solar installations. Schletter was the market leader in ground-mount systems; Zep Solar was the leader in pitched-roof installations; and IronRidge was the leader in flat-roof installations.
Significant market share shift for established as well as emerging competitors underscored the need for continued innovation and controlling manufacturing costs, Wolf Research says. The healthy PV market in North America is attracting new competitors from overseas and domestic start-ups alike, resulting in increasing price competition and investment in new production, as well as accelerating product innovation and differentiation.
For more information about the Wolf Research North American PV mounting systems report, click here.
