The US solar market has long relied heavily on imports, with trade remedies playing a dominant role in shaping its supply chain in recent years.

Rapid changes in antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD), enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), foreign entity of concern (FEOC) compliance requirements, and tariff policies have repeatedly pushed foreign suppliers to relocate production capacity, thereby reshaping import sources and product composition.

In 2026, US solar module manufacturing capacity has reached meaningful scale, while trade barriers are expanding beyond country-specific measures to restrictions on imports, regardless of origin.

US solar module imports totaled approximately 12.7 GW in the first half of 2026, according to InfoLink statistics, down 37.7% year on year. Amid continued trade policy uncertainty, US domestic module shipments and previously accumulated inventories have continued to provide a buffer, reducing the need for additional imports.

Module imports from Southeast Asia fell sharply, from 1.4 GW in January 2026 to 0.6 GW in July. African countries rapidly filled the gap, with imports reaching 1.3 GW in July, making Africa the largest source of imported modules that month. This shift reflects the relocation of production capacity following the imposition of AD/CVD on Southeast Asian imports.

6 GW from January to July, down 30% year on year. The marked declines in both cell and module imports can be attributed to repeated changes in trade policy and the resulting uncertainty. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan remain stable sources of cell imports, while production capacity that came online rapidly in Africa during the first half of 2026 has gradually begun supplying the US market.

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