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Solar mounting structures
What it is
The galvanised steel or aluminium frames that hold solar modules at the correct tilt, including fixed-tilt racking and single-axis trackers. Structures are a significant share of a solar project's balance-of-system cost
They consume hollow sections, tubes and coated flat steel, making them a demand channel for pipe and structural producers
Impact on industries
- Ties steel demand to the renewable build-out, which is policy-supported and growing independently of the industrial capex cycle
- Galvanised and coated requirements pull through higher-value product than plain structural steel, since 25-year asset life demands corrosion protection
- Highly price-competitive and tender-driven, since developers treat structures as a balance-of-system cost to be minimised rather than a differentiator
- Aluminium and alternative racking systems compete directly, and module and tracker design changes can reset the specification