From 4 December, imported solar modules in the US carry a $0.38 per watt price floor plus a 15% tariff
Section 232 polysilicon action: a 15% tariff on polysilicon-derived products and minimum import prices of $21/kg for polysilicon, $100/kg for ingots and wafers, $0.22/W for cells and $0.38/W for modules, effective 4 December 2026.
A commercial solar quote in the US is mostly labour, racking and paperwork. The panels are the part that just got a price floor.
pv magazine reported on 7 August 2026 that the US had announced Section 232 measures on polysilicon and its derivatives. They set a 15% tariff on polysilicon-derived products and minimum import prices: $21 per kg for polysilicon, $100 per kg for ingots and wafers, $0.22 per watt for cells and $0.38 per watt for modules. The measures take effect on 4 December 2026.
A minimum import price means imports cannot come in below that level, whatever the seller offers. The measures follow a proclamation signed on 6 August. For scale, pv magazine USA later put Q2 US module prices at $0.33 to $0.37 per watt, below the new floor.
Analogy: it is a market where the council has set a lowest legal price for imported tomatoes. Cheap ones can still arrive. They just cannot be sold cheap.
Good: the numbers are public and the start date is fixed. A buyer signing for panels can ask exactly which side of 4 December the modules land on.
Bad: with the floor above recent average module prices, imported panels lose their price advantage.
Ugly: this stacks on other tariffs and duties already in place. Anyone pricing a 2027 rooftop job is pricing in policy, not just hardware.
Source: pv magazine, 7 Aug 2026 - US announces tariffs, minimum import price on polysilicon imports.