US Probes Solar Panels from India and Laos for Unfair Trade Practices
Published Date: 5/13/2026
Notice
Summary
The U.S. is investigating whether solar panels and cells from India, Indonesia, and Laos are being unfairly priced or subsidized, which might hurt American solar businesses. This final review will decide if extra taxes should be added to these imports to protect U.S. companies. The investigation started on April 28, 2026, and could impact prices and trade soon.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 4 mixed.
Final Phase AD/CVD Investigations Scheduled
The U.S. International Trade Commission has scheduled the final phase of antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules from India, Indonesia, and Laos. The investigations were initiated April 28, 2026, and the Commission will hold a hearing beginning at 9:30 a.m. on September 9, 2026.
Commerce Made Preliminary Subsidy and Dumping Findings
The Department of Commerce preliminarily determined that crystalline silicon photovoltaic products from India, Indonesia, and Laos are subsidized and sold in the United States at less-than-fair-value. The ITC is now conducting the final injury phase to determine whether U.S. industry is materially injured or threatened with material injury by those imports.
Which Solar Products Are Covered or Excluded
The investigations cover crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules of thickness equal to or greater than 20 micrometers, but exclude thin-film products produced from amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), or CIGS. The scope also excludes crystalline silicon cells not exceeding 10,000 mm2 permanently integrated into non-power-generation consumer goods, and multiple types of small/off-grid panels with specified power and surface-area limits (for example, exclusions reference power outputs of 100 watts or less, 175–220 watts or less, and surface areas such as 8,000 cm2, 10,500 cm2, and 16,000 cm2 in various exclusions).
Third-Country Assembly Coverage Rule
The investigations cover modules, laminates, and panels produced in a third country from cells produced in a subject country (India, Indonesia, or Laos), while modules produced in a subject country from cells produced in a third country are not covered. This distinction affects whether assembled products are within the scope of the investigations.
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