Photovoltaic frame is one of the important auxiliary materials of modules, which is mainly used to protect the edge of photovoltaic glass, strengthen the sealing performance of modules, improve the mechanical strength of modules, and has an important impact on the life of modules. Photovoltaic frame, as an important auxiliary material for photovoltaic modules, has been developing with the photovoltaic industry for many years. Aluminum alloy material has high strength, strong firmness, good conductivity, corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance, tensile resistance, convenient transportation and installation. As well as easy to recycle and other excellent performance , make the aluminum alloy frame in the market to occupy a dominant position, the current penetration rate of more than 95% .
Photovoltaic frame is a module auxiliary material with high value. In the cost structure of photovoltaic modules, the cost of cells accounts for about 55%. According to the size and weight of the current common aluminum frame, the proportion of photovoltaic frame is about 13%, which is higher than other auxiliary materials such as EVA, glass, backplane and welding strip, and it is the auxiliary material with the highest cost proportion.
At the beginning of the development of China's photovoltaic industry, aluminum alloy became the main component frame material by virtue of its light weight, strong corrosion resistance and easy forming. However, in recent years, as the application scenarios of photovoltaic modules become more and more extensive, the modules need to face more and more extreme environments, and the optimization and transformation of module frame technology and materials are imperative, resulting in a variety of frame alternatives, such as frameless double-glass modules, rubber buckle frames, steel frames, composite frames and so on. After a long period of practical application, it has been proved that in the exploration and attempt of many materials, aluminum alloy stands out due to its own characteristics, showing the absolute advantage of aluminum alloy. In the foreseeable future, other materials have not yet reflected the advantages of replacing aluminum alloy, and aluminum frame is still expected to maintain a high market share.
I. Industry development situation
1. Frameless double-glass modules and rubber buckle frames have faded out of the market
After years of application of photovoltaic modules, it has been confirmed that frameless double-glass modules and rubber buckle frames have faded out of the market. For the frameless double-glass module, the aluminum alloy frame can be theoretically omitted due to the use of double-layer glass to improve the mechanical properties of the module and the combination of frameless double-glass briquettes. However, there are always differences between the laboratory test results and the actual operation of the power station. The main reason is that the frameless double-glass module is bent and deformed due to the uneven laminating stress, uneven mechanical stress and uneven thermal stress of the busbar, resulting in the cracking of the cell and the bursting of the glass, which leads to the loss of the income of the photovoltaic power station.
On the other hand, the rubber buckle frame also adopts a structural design similar to the frameless double glass block, which is also controversial because of the deformation of the components. In addition, compared with the service life of photovoltaic modules of 20-25 years, the organic rubber plastic frame is difficult to match the service life of photovoltaic modules, and the environmental friendliness is poor. The whole life cycle of rubber products has great pollution to the environment, which does not conform to the concept of green sustainable development.
2. Compared with steel, glass fiber and other materials, aluminum frame still has obvious advantages
. After a long period of large-scale practical application, aluminum alloy has occupied the dominant position of photovoltaic frame materials. Its characteristics are as follows:
The fundamental reason for the emergence of various PV frame schemes in the current market is the demand for cost reduction of PV modules. However, as the aluminum price falls back to a relatively stable level in 2023, the cost-effective advantage of aluminum alloy materials becomes increasingly prominent. On the other hand, from the point of view of material recycling, compared with other materials, aluminum alloy frame has a very high recycling value, and the recycling process is simple, in line with the concept of green recycling development.
However, due to the high energy consumption and carbon emissions of primary aluminium, enterprises may have rigid constraints on the use of green electricity. According to IAI data, the carbon footprint per kilogram of primary aluminium is between 5 kg and 25 kg CO2e, and in terms of carbon emissions, the carbon emissions per ton of electrolytic aluminium production are about 11.2 tons. With certain strength and cost advantages,
steel frame has gained high attention in recent years. In the first half of 2022, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine led to the rise of aluminium prices, which made the cost advantage of steel frames more obvious. In 2022, some manufacturers in the industry, such as Dongfang Risheng, Zhonglai, Jingke Energy, Atlas and Aikang, began to evaluate steel frames and produce them in small batches. The aluminum price in the open market has been maintained at $2200-2400/ton for a long time, and the advantage of cost reduction of steel frame has been weakened. At the same time, due to the concerns about weight and reliability, and the characteristics of high processing accuracy and requirements, the actual shipment of steel frame is still less. According to the survey, the actual shipment in 2022 accounts for less than 2%.
Composite frame has a long history in many frame materials. As early as 2012, some manufacturers developed related products. However, due to the limitation of its polymer material characteristics, it has not been accepted by mainstream component manufacturers, and there is still a long way to go in the future.
2. The main participants
of photovoltaic frame enterprises are Yongzhen, Xinbo, Yingkou Changtai (Chuzhou Ruida) and CITIC Bohai in the current photovoltaic frame market. Through rapid expansion
, Yongzhen has built production bases in Yingkou, Liaoning, Changzhou, Jiangsu and Chuzhou, Anhui, and planned new production capacity in Wuhu, Anhui and Beijiang, Vietnam. With the release of new production capacity in Wuhu and Vietnam by the end of 2023, the total production capacity will reach 670000 tons, which will continue to consolidate the leading position in the industry. Actively introduce low-carbon frames while taking the lead in overseas layout. Xinbo also plans to build production bases in Vietnam and Malaysia, and is currently preparing for overseas investment filing. The overseas layout of photovoltaic aluminum frame will provide strong support for the overseas development of China's photovoltaic industry .
At present, there are still many small and medium-sized enterprises in the photovoltaic aluminium frame industry, but the leading enterprises further rely on their own capital, process accuracy, production management and other advantages to increase and release production capacity, seize market share and consolidate customer certification barriers, while leading the industry in new technologies, new products, new processes and capacity layout. The advantages of leading enterprises are becoming more and more obvious, small and medium-sized enterprises with insufficient competitiveness will be eliminated by the market one after another, and the concentration of enterprises in the photovoltaic frame industry will be further improved.
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