New report: Europe hosts over 40 solar mounting systems companies supporting resilience and energy system flexibility

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Thursday 3rd July 2025): A new report from SolarPower Europe maps the market for solar mounting systems in Europe, revealing their critical role in the continent’s solar manufacturing base and in shaping the flexible energy system of tomorrow. 

Solar mounting systems are components largely made of steel, or aluminium, and hold solar panels in place and secure them against weather and environmental conditions. Mounting systems determine the angle, orientation, and contribute to the durability of a solar installation. They can be unmoving ‘fixed-tilt’ systems or trackers following the path of the sun. In Europe, industry estimates see a rough 50-50 split between these fixed or tracking systems for utility-scale projects. 

Dries Acke, Deputy CEO at SolarPower Europe (he/him) said: “Mounting systems make solar possible, durable, and flexible. Innovative mounting systems are spreading solar generation beyond the midday peak, bringing the power of the sun for more hours of the day, and improving the business case for solar. Over forty solar mounting system manufacturers have a home in Europe, and it’s important that the implementation of EU laws – like the Net-Zero Industry Act – ensures that this valuable link in Europe’s solar supply chains remains unbroken.”

Mounting systems are increasingly playing a role in stretching the abundant solar generation midday peak to the morning and evening, easing pressure on the grid and supporting the business case for solar. 

One mounting system option orients the panels east-west, allowing the installation to catch more sun rays in the morning and evening hours, rather than noon. This effect can be particularly useful when panels are mounted vertically, as opposed to horizontally. This configuration helps catch lower angles of light, which is particularly relevant in northern latitudes. ‘Tracking’ systems are another type of mounting option which in some cases can provide up to 30% more value (in €/MWh) annually than an equivalent fixed-tilt system.

‘Solar Mounting Structures Explained’ details the large EU ecosystem of mounting system providers: upwards of 40 companies in the EU develop mounting solutions across the rooftop, ground-mount segments, as well as façade, Agri-PV, solar carports, and all kinds of solar PV applications. This includes recognised global market leaders for trackers, fixed ground-mount and rooftop mounting. 

Leah Le Pénuizic, Market Analyst at SolarPower Europe (she/her), said: “Mounting systems prove to be one of the most enduring segments of European solar manufacturing. However, while Europe is still meeting the bulk of domestic demand  for mounting systems, we can see increasing pressure from non-European competitors. We need distinct customs codes for this technology to properly monitor the trade flows, and robust standards to uphold the quality of solar mounting systems across Europe.” 

As part of the report analysis, SolarPower Europe makes a number of recommendations to reinforce the solar mounting systems segment in Europe. 

When implementing the Net-Zero Industry Act, national authorities should consider the importance of all mounting systems. Half of utility-scale solar projects used fixed-tilt systems, and effectively all of rooftop mounting systems, and 70% of relevant companies in Europe are manufacturing fixed-tilt mounting structures. However, the NZIA only highlights tracking mounting systems – therefore, in the implementation of NZIA at national level, SolarPower Europe recommends including mounting structures more widely.

In addition, SolarPower Europe recommends developing specific custom codes for both solar mounting structures and trackers, that can help track and identify the shipments of these components in international trade, as is done for solar inverters and modules. 

Finally, the report calls for harmonised and robust quality standards across three key areas: structural integrity, transparency, and warranties, in order to support the development of a single market for quality mounting systems.

Mounting Systems Explained joins SolarPower Europe’s suite of reports dedicated to key elements of the solar value chain, including Inverters Explained, Solar Production Equipment Explained, and the European Market Outlook for Battery Storage. Mounting Systems Explained was produced with the support of Allimex, Enson, GSE Integration, K2 System, Next Tracker, Solarport, and Soltec.

© Zimmerman PV Steel Group