A commercial solar installation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Credit: Arch Solar
There are a lot of factors determining how much a solar panel costs in the United States. Imported panels are faced with tariffs on many components. The country’s domestic manufacturing market is largely focused on final panel assembly, so it’s difficult to not include at least one imported portion of the polysilicon supply chain, even in American-made panels. Long-standing Chinese and Southeast Asian import tariffs may be getting easier to navigate, but now more countries are under investigation and more elements of the supply chain are being scrutinized. The country’s longest government shutdown didn’t help quicken various processes, and many in the solar industry are still awaiting federal guidance to build important solar projects.
Solar Power World gathered information on every trade case, Dept. of Commerce investigation and Dept. of the Treasury ruling still ongoing in the solar panel space to report the latest updates and estimated deadlines.
Retroactive duties were ordered to be collected, but may not be
In August 2025, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) ruled that President Joe Biden’s 2022 tariff pause on imported solar panels was illegal, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) should not have followed it. This ruling meant that retroactive duties would be collected on Southeast Asian solar cells and panels imported between April 2022 and June 2024.
Read more here.
Domestic manufacturing hopeful Maxeon shut out of market
Maxeon has filed its own complaint in the CIT against CBP for preventing Maxeon panels from entering the country.
The solar panel manufacturer has been battling “erroneous” actions by the agency for almost two years, as the CBP holds Mexican-assembled Maxeon panels for reviews under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). Maxeon has provided the necessary information showing its supply chains and no documented connection to alleged forced labor conditions in China, yet CBP continues to detain the modules.
Read more here.
AD/CVD investigation still ongoing for India, Indonesia and Laos, but imports haven’t stopped
In August 2025, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) decided to start an AD/CVD investigation on solar cells and panels imported from India, Indonesia and Laos. An uptick in solar imports from Indonesia and Laos has been noticeable — more so than from India — but now the Dept. of Commerce is determining potential tariff amounts for solar imports from all three countries if the ITC finds unfair trade practices.
Read more here.
Polysilicon tariffs would impact full panel supply chain
In July, the Trump administration initiated a Sec. 232 investigation into the polysilicon industry. An affirmative Sec. 232 ruling would let the federal government impose tariffs on imported products if they are deemed a threat to national security. The “goal” of Sec. 232 tariffs is to limit imports and boost domestic manufacturing.
The Dept. of Commerce received almost 50 public comments on the matter, including from domestic solar panel players, polysilicon-focused companies and various trade associations. Most of the commenters were involved with the solar industry, although some groups commented on polysilicon’s role in the semiconductor industry, including Tesla.
Read more here.
FEOC rules could change solar panel brand trends in United States
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) established new rules for what type of solar products are eligible for certain tax credits. The foreign entity of concern (FEOC) rule denies the federal investment tax credit to projects that use too many Chinese components and prevents U.S.-made products that use too many Chinese components from accessing Sec. 45X credits. It’s a convoluted exercise for the solar panel market, where it’s nearly impossible to avoid using some Chinese component in the final product.
Read more here.
