Global single-axis tracker revenues are expected to grow 120%, to reach nearly US$2 billion in 2019, according to IHS. For the first time, single-axis trackers will be the preferred type of structural balance of system (BoS) ground mount for solar in the Americas in 2015.
Overall global ground-mount solar photovoltaic (PV) installations are forecast to increase an average of 7% per year, reaching 33 gigawatts (GW) in 2019; utility-scale installations will account for 73% of the total.
"The US leads growth in the single-axis tracker market," said Cormac Gilligan, IHS senior analyst. "Chile, Mexico and other emerging markets that have high irradiation are also favoring single-axis trackers, especially as prices have fallen rapidly in recent years."
According to the IHS, the global market for ground-mount structural BoS will be dominated by fixed-tilt structures, which will account for 67% of total installations. Single-axis tracker installations are forecast to provide just over 9GW in 2019 driven mainly by the growth of utility-scale installations.
The US will be the largest global market for single-axis trackers in 2019, accounting for 36% of all global installations. China and India are forecast to rank second and third, comprising almost 2GW of single-axis tracker installations in 2019.
In the US, Sunpower, First Solar and other leading engineering, procurement and construction companies (EPCs) -- along with Nextracker, Clavijo and other pure-play suppliers -- are currently promoting single-axis trackers in large utility-scale installations. "When single-axis trackers are installed in high irradiation locations, the additional energy yield means that customers can generate a higher return on investment," Gilligan said.
While Chile and other emerging markets favor single-axis trackers, larger Asia markets, such as China and India, currently prefer fixed-tilt trackers, due to the abundance of large domestic steel makers that can manufacture them cheaply. In India and other markets with low labor costs, suppliers like Tata International are installing seasonally adjusted trackers, which allow the angle of trackers to be changed seasonally by humans, rather than with motors. As these large Asia markets develop, IHS expects installations with single-axis trackers to increase rapidly, as existing suppliers develop new products and as new suppliers enter the market, the firm added.
