Standardisation helps photovoltaic composite frame industry to develop with high quality

Lianshui, Jiangsu Province, 23 August 2024 - The 2nd PV Glass Fiber Reinforced Composites Industry Development Conference, co-hosted by China Glass Fiber Industry Association (CGFIA) and China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA), was successfully held at Huai'an Guoyuan Hotel in Lianshui County, Jiangsu Province. The conference brought together many industry experts, scholars and enterprise representatives to discuss the latest progress and future development direction of glass fibre reinforced composites for PV.

In this conference, Zhu Yangyang, Marketing Director of Jiangsu Worldlight New Material  delivered a theme report entitled ‘The significance of the construction of the standard system of photovoltaic composite frame and the construction process’. The report analyses the current situation and future development trend of the GFRP industry from three aspects: market background, significance of the standard system and its construction process.

Composite Bezel Market Background

Compared with traditional aluminium frames, composite frames have a number of advantages such as corrosion resistance, high ultimate load, low temperature deformation, protective grounding of surface modules and PID resistance. In addition, aluminium prices continue to rise, while PV module prices continue to fall, making the frame cost of non-silicon PV module costs in the Top2, cost reduction and efficiency is particularly urgent.

Since the beginning of 2024, GFRP manufacturers, represented by Worldlight, have managed to achieve continuous volume deliveries. With the rapid growth and explosion of the market, new composite bezel manufacturers have emerged, and there are now more than 50 of them, showing a blossoming trend, however, the differences in technology routes are still significant.

The significance of building a standard system

As there are too many technical routes for composite frames, it is especially important to build a standard system for the development of the industry. The standard is like a balance, its basic performance requirements not only need to meet the application of downstream manufacturers, at the same time need to meet the production requirements of GFRP manufacturers.

At present, the solid system (including polyurethane DMI, glass fibre, felt and coating) has become the mainstream of composite frames in the market, but there are significant differences in the structural design, corner code material, installation and coating design of different manufacturers, which need to be standardised to avoid disorderly competition in the market. As an emerging product, the standard system of composite frame will go through a dynamic cyclic upward process of ‘development - application - feedback - improvement’. The standard is dynamic, with the composite frame in the large-scale application of the continuous promotion, the standard level will be gradually improved, thus promoting the level of development of the industry and product quality of the overall improvement.

Standard construction process

Recently, the group standard of China Photovoltaic Industry Association ‘Glass Fibre Reinforced Composite Frame for Photovoltaic Modules’ led by Jiangsu Worldlight New Material  and National Solar Photovoltaic Product Quality Inspection and Testing Centre (CPVT) has completed the publicity, and is waiting for the official release.

The test methods and technical indicators covered in the standard, including mechanical load, appearance, dimensional requirements, basic performance, and resistance to environmental aging, are specified. These technical indicators have been established after rigorous testing and verification to ensure the scientific and practicality of the standard.

Jiangsu Worldlight New Material  will continue to be committed to promoting the development of the composite bezel industry, constantly improving the technical standards and contributing to the overall progress of the industry. The success of this conference not only provides a platform for the practitioners of glass fibre reinforced composites for photovoltaic industry to communicate and cooperate, but also points out the direction for the future development of the industry.