U.S. to Drop Duties on Some Small Solar Products from China

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The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced a new decision on special tariffs for certain solar products from China. The announcement appears in the Federal Register, Volume 90, Issue 140, dated July 24, 2025.

Background

In 2015, the United States began charging extra taxes called antidumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVD) on crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) products from China. These products are often used to make solar panels.

On August 28, 2024, the company Lutron, which makes and sells solar products, asked the Department of Commerce to review these duties for a special kind of product: small, low-wattage, off-grid CSPV cells. These products are used in devices that control natural light. The request asked for the duties to no longer apply to these specific products.

The American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing, a group representing U.S. solar producers, said it did not oppose the request.

Commerce looked for more comments, but none were received from other parties.

Final Results

The Department of Commerce found that U.S. producers who make this type of CSPV cell do not want the extra tariffs for these products. Because of this, the government will remove the duties on these certain small, low-wattage, off-grid CSPV solar cells from China.

Details of the Excluded Products

The following products are now excluded from the tariffs:

  • Off-grid CSPV panels in rigid form, with or without a glass cover.
  • They must be permanently attached to an aluminum frame that is part of an automation device for controlling natural light.
  • They can be assembled into a fully completed light control device or not.
  • The panels must meet all these conditions:
    • The panel’s total power output is 20 watts or less.
    • The panel’s surface area is no more than 1,000 square centimeters.
    • The panel does not have a built-in inverter to power third-party devices.

Scope of Solar Products Still Affected

The anti-dumping and countervailing duties will still apply to other types of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules, panels, and laminates made or assembled in China, except for those products with specific exemptions.

Some products, including thin film photovoltaic products and certain small integrated solar panels in consumer goods, were already excluded from the duties. The new exclusion adds the small, low-wattage, off-grid CSPV panels described above.

Action for Importers

The Department of Commerce will tell U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to remove the tariffs from all small, low-wattage, off-grid CSPV panels that were entered into the U.S. (or taken from a warehouse for use) starting from December 1, 2022, for AD duties and January 1, 2022, for CVD duties. Importers may get refunds of duties they already paid on these items.

If there is a legal challenge, the CBP will pause liquidation until legal timelines end.

Other Information

The reminder also covers how companies under special protective orders should handle private information after the decision.

This change is now final as of July 24, 2025.

Contact

Questions can be sent to Tyler O’Daniel, Office of Policy Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration. Phone: (202) 482-6030.

The full notice is available in the Federal Register at www.gpo.gov.


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