For the first time in eight years, imported solar panels in the United States are no longer covered by Sec. 201 rates. The tariffs, introduced during President Donald Trump’s first term and extended by his successor Joe Biden, were set to expire on February 6, 2026.
Rates under Sec. 201 of the Trade Act of 1974 are intended to protect American industries from damage caused by increased imports. In 2017, U.S. solar cell manufacturer Suniva and module maker SolarWorld requested the investigation, and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) determined that an increase in imports of crystalline silicon cells and panels was hurting U.S. solar manufacturers. The 2018 tariffs were 30%, with the first 2.5 GW of imported cells exempted for US panel assemblers. The tariff amount decreased every year, eventually reaching 14% for imports in 2025.
There was an ongoing back and forth debate over whether bifacial solar panels should be exempt from the tariffs. The Trump administration first excluded the specialty solar panel from tariffs in 2018, and an immediate increase in bilateral imports was observed. The government removed the two-sided module exemption in 2020, but the Court of International Trade subsequently reinstated the exemption in 2021. The Biden administration kept the bipartisan waiver when it extended the tariffs in 2022.
The ITC has completed its interim review of Sec. 201 solar panel tariffs in February 2024 and commented on the developing U.S. solar energy production market. The ITC recognized that the domestic manufacturing industry continued to suffer damage from imports, but there was increased investment in the domestic market due to favorable incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Timothy Brightbill, partner at Wiley Rein LLP and trade advisor to the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, said the Sec. 201 rates lost their effectiveness after companies found solutions.
“While the Sec. 201 investigation and tariffs were an important effort, the actual solutions were largely ineffective, due to the long-standing bipartisan exemption, which greatly weakened aid, and the exclusion of many countries, such as Cambodia,” he said in a statement. World of solar energy. “Ultimately, the U.S. solar industry still needs comprehensive relief as Chinese companies continue to engage in unfair trade practices and hop from country to country. The recent massive import increases from Indonesia, Laos and now Ethiopia only show the lengths these companies will go to to circumvent legitimate U.S. trade laws and remedies.”
U.S. manufacturers have had greater success with anti-dumping/countervailing duty (AD/CVD) investigations on imported solar products. The Alliance successfully petitioned for tariffs on imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam after seeing an influx of imported cells and panels from Southeast Asia. The group is now asking for help against imports from India, Indonesia and Laos. A decision should be made later this year.
Also related to the solar energy market, a Sec. The 232 investigation into the polysilicon industry was launched in July 2025. An affirmative Sec. 232 ruling would allow the federal government to impose tariffs on imported products if they are deemed a threat to national security. These potential polysilicon tariffs would affect any product containing polysilicon, including solar wafers, cells and panels. A decision in that case could come any day, although the government has not given an immediate timeline.
“The Polysilicon Sec. 232 proceeding could be more successful in addressing this ongoing whack-a-mole behavior if it covers solar cells and modules and provides comprehensive relief targeted to foreign entities of concern,” Brightbill said.
