Pultruded FRP solar mounting for Australian projects

Three reasons come up most. Coastal sites in NSW, Queensland, WA and Tasmania expose the mounting to salt air, where aluminum 6063 can pit even when anodized and FRP does not corrode. Aluminum rails on steel piles need isolation to avoid galvanic corrosion; FRP forms no galvanic pair. And FRP is about 30% lighter than aluminum 6063 for the same section, which reduces transport and handling weight and the loads on the foundations. FRP is less stiff, so sections are sized for deflection, and outdoor profiles need a UV-stabilized resin with a surfacing veil or coating.

Compliance is shown for each project design. Array installations follow AS/NZS 5033, which calls for the structure to be designed for AS/NZS 1170 loads, and wind actions come from AS/NZS 1170.2 for the site's region, including cyclonic regions C and D. The project engineer checks the members and connections against those loads with the material data for the supplied sections; we provide the section properties and test reports. Connection hardware is usually hot-dip galvanized to AS/NZS 4680 or stainless steel.

Pultruded FRP has a density of about 1.9 g/cm³ against 2.70 for aluminum 6063, so an FRP section weighs about 30% less than an aluminum section of the same size. FRP is also less stiff, so the FRP section may need to be deeper to meet the same deflection limit, which narrows the gap. Compare the member weights of both designs for your array layout; we can size the FRP option from your aluminum design.

Australian UV is among the strongest in the world, so outdoor profiles use UV-stabilized polyester, polyurethane or vinyl ester resin with a synthetic surfacing veil and, where specified, a UV-resistant coating. Without that protection the surface can chalk and expose fibers over time. Weathering and salt-mist results for our PV frame material are published on the evidence page; ask for the reports that match the resin and coating you plan to use.

Sea freight from Shanghai or Ningbo to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Fremantle or Port Kembla takes 18–28 days. Catalog sections take 2–4 weeks to produce, variants on an existing die 4–6 weeks, and a new section 6–10 weeks from approved drawing. For multi-megawatt projects, plan container releases with the installation schedule to avoid storage at the port. We quote CIF or DAP to the project staging area.

It depends on the site. Per kilogram, FRP costs more than aluminum 6063 and considerably more than galvanized steel. Lighter members can reduce transport, handling and foundation costs, and FRP needs no recoating in coastal air, so the comparison that matters is installed and lifecycle cost for your layout and exposure. FRP makes its strongest case on coastal sites and long design lives; send the array design and we will price the FRP option.