Motion plastics for the photovoltaic industry

Strong UV radiation, heat, wind, dust: solar plants have to operate under extreme environmental conditions. igus offers different and customised solutions that meet these exact requirements. Our motion plastics are absolutely ideal with their long service life, freedom from maintenance, lubrication and low costs. Application scenarios for dirt-resistant and lubrication-free plain and spherical bearings are:
  • Tracking systems,
  • Floating photovoltaic plants (floating PV) 
  • Cleaning systems.
Would you like more information about igus® products in the photovoltaic industry? Our experts will be happy to get in touch with you.
 
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photovoltaics

Products for use in photovoltaic plants

igubal pillow block bearings ESQM in solar plants

Split pillow block bearing for square profiles

  • Split version of housing and spherical balls
  • Compensation for misalignment
  • Easy assembly and disassembly
  • For long service life under high loads
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igubal metal rod end bearing KARM in solar plant

Metal rod end bearing with male thread

  • For rotating, oscillating and linear movements
  • Suitable for long-term temperatures,-40 to +90°C
  • Insensitive to dirt, dust and moisture
  • Maintenance-free dry operation
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drylin lead screw nut in photovoltaic tracker

Dry-running drylin® lead screw technology

  • Lubrication and maintenance-free
  • Insensitive to dirt, dust and moisture
  • Low coefficient of friction - low wear rates
  • Temperature-resistant
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dryspin heavy-duty lead screw nut JGRM

Heavy-duty lead screw nut

  • Light and cost-effective alternative to metallic ball screw nuts
  • Two installation sizes for threads Ø 14/16 and 18/20
  • For axial loads up to 6MPa
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igubal fixed flange bearing EFOM with two mounting holes

Fixed flange bearings

  • Compensation for misalignment
  • Absolutely corrosion-resistant
  • Lightweight
  • Maintenance-free dry operation
  • 2 mounting holes
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Rods and plates made of iglidur bar stock

iglidur® plastic rod

  • 100% maintenance-free and lubrication-free
  • Excellent wear resistance
  • Resistant to dirt, dust and humidity
  • No minimum order value or quantity
  • Various material options
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Application areas

Tracker systems

Photovoltaic tracker systems

Floating PV

Floating photovoltaic system

Cleaning systems

Photovoltaic cleaning machine

Fixed installation

Photovoltaic fixed installation

Frequently asked questions on Photovoltaics

What is photovoltaics?

Photovoltaics is a form of energy that is created when two susbatances come together to create electricity.

What is the difference between solar energy and photovoltaics?

This is tricky but basically Photovoltaic converts thermal energy into power and solar coverts the power produced into heat.

For more FAQ's

igubal® solar pillow block bearings convince in the lab test


In the company's own 3,800 square metre igus® test laboratory, the service life, wear resistance and load capacity of igubal® pillow block bearings for solar modules were examined under real loads of the daily motion sequence, simulated in a time-lapse.
 
The number of movements achieved under a load of 1.5 tons corresponded to a service life of 72 years.
igubal solar pillow block bearings in laboratory test

Order the sample box free of charge

Photovoltaic sample box Convince yourself of the quality of our products and test our maintenance-free polymer bearings for PV technology. The box contains: a split igubal® pillow block bearing for square profiles, a half shell for solar trackers, a fixed flange bearing, a rod end and three different plain bearings.
Order here

Download whitepaper

White paper solar technology 25 years of service life in dust, heat and UV radiation, in the best case without failures and with minimised maintenance requirements: in this white paper, you can read about the requirements placed on the bearings of single-axis solar trackers and the solutions we offer for this.
Download here

Successfully in use by our customers

PV tracking system from Axiom Research Labs

Reliable tracking with igubal pillow block bearings

To ensure that solar unit daily tracking movement works perfectly, the company uses our robust igubal ESQM pillow block bearings – a "fit and forget" solution, since they are maintenance-free throughout their 25-year service life.
TecnoSun PV tracker

Withstand all weather conditions: plain bearings in PV trackers

Tracking systems from TecnoSun Solar Systems score highly in terms of cost efficiency thanks to their low installation height. iglidur P plain bearings are used in the traction ring. They withstand all weathers, are dirt-resistant and can easily withstand high loads caused by snow.
PV cleaning robot

Clean bearing solutions for solar panel cleaning equipment

The remote-controlled cleaner from TG hyLIFT removes fine dust, bird droppings and lichen from solar surfaces. Media-resistant iglidur P plain bearings are used in the wheels and self-aligning igubal fixed flange bearings in the rotating brush, which work without any problems with prolonged contact with water and cleaning agents.