CEA: latest AD/CVD case could cause cell supply ‘bottleneck’ for US

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
US-based solar manufacturers, including First Solar, Hanwha Qcells and Meyer Burge,r launched the petition earlier this week. Image: Flickr/Luke Price

US renewables firm Clean Energy Associates (CEA) predicts that the solar industry’s latest anti-dumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) petition has a “high likelihood” of resulting in duties being paid on solar imports.

The petition was launched earlier this week by US-based solar manufacturers First Solar, Hanwha Qcells, Meyer Burger, and a number of other petitioners under the banner of the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

It is seeking an investigation by the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) into products imported to the US from largely Chinese-owned solar manufacturers with operations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia. The allegations claim that these companies are evading US tariffs on Chinese imports.

In its analysis of the latest claim, CEA said: “Based on the record of previous AD/CVD petitions, CEA finds a high likelihood that this petition will result in duties. In a study of all AD/CVD petitions from 2012 through 2021, the Government Accountability Office found that 74% of the petitions filed resulted in duties.”

Biden’s waiver to end in June

The most recent swathe of AD/CVD cases was started by small, California-based manufacturer Auxin Solar in February 2022, which sought an investigation into non-competitively low-priced solar imports from Southeast Asia. In August 2023, the DOC found five manufacturers guilty of circumventing US import tariffs – Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, BYD Hong Kong, New East Solar and LONGi-owned Vina solar – by relocating portions of their supply chain from China to Southeast Asia for “minor processing” before shipping to the US.

However, despite the petition’s success, no duties have yet been collected on offending imports. President Joe Biden introduced a two-year waiver on the tariffs, to act as a “bridge” to allow the US solar industry to adjust its supply and avoid the potential disruption caused by a positive ruling.

In effect, this waiver also allowed importing companies to alter their supply chains, too. In one example, Canadian Solar announced plans for a 5GW n-type wafer factory in Thailand since the DOC ruling. The manufacture of wafers is the de facto ‘cut off’ point for the AD/CVD tariffs, as they do not extend to stages further upstream like ingot pulling or polysilicon production.

According to the CEA, this most recent appeal from the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee will receive a decision from the DOC by 14 May and a preliminary verdict on “injury to domestic industry” from the ITC by 10 June.

Potential impacts on solar supply

The timing of the appeal will mean that any importers newly found to be circumventing tariffs will not benefit from Biden’s executive waiver.

CEA said: “This petition threatens to turn the oversupply of PV modules serving the US PV market into undersupply, due to a potential bottleneck of duty-free cells.”

The US imports the overwhelming majority of its solar cells. Mark Widmar, CEO of one of the petitioners, First Solar, said in a statement last month that “not even one of the crystalline silicon panels installed [in 2023] was assembled with American-made solar cells”. Moreover, most of the world’s solar cells are produced in China and Southeast Asia, which are subject to AD/CVD rules.

CEA continued: “CEO estimates that at the beginning of 2024 there was 18GW of crystalline silicon cell manufacturing capacity in non-AD/CVD countries … Even when another 17GW of thin film module capacity is considered, there is still less crystalline silicon cell and thin film supply in non-AD/CVD countries than projected US demand in 2024.”

It predicted that, if the DOC initiates investigations, it could “greatly reduce” US module and cell imports. Furthermore, CEA said: “If these duties are passed along to buyers, they will introduce uncertainty to the financial models that projects depend on. This will potentially cause projects to be delayed, cancelled and/or sold.”

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

August 29, 2025
US-based climate insurance provider kWh Analytics has launched a new renewable energy insurance cover for extreme weather events.
August 29, 2025
US grid interconnection agreements grew by 33% in 2024, reaching 75GW, with three-quarters signed for solar PV and battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, according to a new report from energy market analyst Wood Mackenzie.
Premium
August 29, 2025
PV Tech Premium hears from Renewable Properties and Silicon Ranch about the new 'start of construction' rules for US solar projects.
Premium
August 28, 2025
US solar companies could potentially pay “tens of billions” of dollars in retroactive duties on products imported from Southeast Asia between June 2022 and June 2024, following a decision from the US Court of International Trade (CIT).
August 28, 2025
Boviet Solar has completed exterior construction work on its 3GW PV cell manufacturing facility in Greenville, Pitt County, North Carolina. 
August 27, 2025
The governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, has signed a new legislation that seeks to build 3GW of new community solar by 2029.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines