Government May Slap Tariffs on Cheap Solar Panels
Published Date: 1/10/2025
Notice
Summary
The U.S. is checking if solar panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are unfairly priced or subsidized, which might hurt American solar businesses. This final review, set for December 4, 2024, could lead to extra taxes on these imports to protect U.S. companies. If you’re in the solar panel business or love clean energy, this could shake up prices and trade rules soon!
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 1 mixed.
U.S. investigation targets solar imports
The U.S. International Trade Commission has scheduled the final phase of antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into crystalline silicon photovoltaic products (solar panels) from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, effective December 4, 2024. The products at issue are listed under HTSUS subheadings including 8541.42.0010 and 8541.43.0010 and related subheadings named in the notice.
Commerce found subsidies and dumping
The Department of Commerce preliminarily determined that certain crystalline silicon photovoltaic products from the named countries are subsidized and sold in the U.S. at less-than-fair-value. The investigations were requested by the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee on April 24, 2024.
Many small/off‑grid panels are excluded
The investigations explicitly exclude a variety of thin‑film products (amorphous silicon (a‑Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and CIGS) and many off‑grid or small portable crystalline silicon panels that meet numeric limits such as total power outputs of 100 watts or less, 175–200 watts or less in certain exclusions, and maximum surface areas including 8,000 cm2, 16,000 cm2, 10,500 cm2, 9,000 cm2, or 5,000 cm2 depending on the exclusion. Some very small panels (surface area from 3,450 mm2 to 33,782 mm2) with specific wire, voltage (e.g., not exceeding 2.9 volts), current (e.g., not exceeding 1.1 amps), and wattage (e.g., not exceeding 3.19 watts or 6 watts in other exclusions) characteristics are also excluded.
Assembly location affects coverage
The notice states that modules, laminates, and panels produced in a third country from cells produced in a subject country are covered by the investigations, while modules, laminates, and panels produced in a subject country from cells produced in a third country are not covered.
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