What Homeowners Should Know Right Now
The federal government has officially signed new residential solar tariffs on solar panels and the materials used to make them, with a firm date attached to when they take effect.
What Is Going On
Solar panels and the materials used to make them, primarily a substance called polysilicon, were the subject of a federal investigation that started back in July 2025.1 That investigation, conducted under a trade law known as Section 232, looks at whether importing certain materials poses a risk to national security. It is the same type of investigation that has already led to tariffs on steel and semiconductors.
That investigation concluded on August 6, 2026, when the president signed a proclamation setting new minimum import prices for polysilicon, wafers, cells, and finished solar panels, along with a 15 percent tariff that applies to every one of those products no matter which country they come from.2 These new costs take effect on December 4, 2026.6
This is not the first tariff change solar has seen this year. A separate set of tariffs on imported panels, in place since 2018, expired in February 2026.3 Many in the industry expected that to mean lower prices. Instead, it turned out to be a bridge to this new and larger round of tariffs.
What Residential Solar Tariffs Mean for Your Wallet
Industry analysts tracking this closely, including research firms Roth Capital and Intertek CEA, expect solar equipment prices to keep climbing through 2027.4 The reason is straightforward. Building enough domestic manufacturing capacity to compete on price with current imports takes years, and most planned U.S. factories are not expected to be running at scale until late 2026 at the earliest. Real price relief from that new capacity is not expected before 2028.
The proclamation also includes a provision meant to stop importers from stockpiling cheap panels ahead of the deadline, so this is not simply a matter of everyone rushing to buy now and stash equipment in a warehouse.5
In plain terms, December 4, 2026 is now the line. Homeowners who install before that date lock in pricing under the current system. Homeowners who wait will be shopping in a market where the new tariffs and price floors apply to every panel on the market, with no clear timeline for when prices come back down.
What You Can Do
Solar Energy Solutions works with homeowners across the Midwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic to design and install systems that fit your home and your budget. We also work with financing partners, including Clean Energy Credit Union, to help make the upfront cost manageable. Locking in your project now means locking in today’s equipment pricing before these tariffs take hold in December. If you have been on the fence, this is the moment to get a straight answer on what solar would cost for your home.
1 Anza Renewables, “Mitigating Solar & Storage Tariff, Trade, & Supply Chain Risk,” January 22, 2026.
Sources
2 Reuters, “Trump Unveils Trade Actions to Protect Key Solar and Semiconductor Material,” republished by GV Wire, August 6, 2026.
3 Solar Power World, “End of an Era: Sec. 201 Tariffs on Imported Solar Panels Expire,” February 9, 2026.
4 Tech Times, “Polysilicon Price Floor: Trump Targets China’s Grip on Chips and Solar,” citing Roth Capital, August 4, 2026; and pv magazine USA, “Intertek CEA Forecasts Rising U.S. Solar Module Prices Through 2027 Amid Tariff Uncertainty,” March 16, 2026.
5 Associated Press, “Trump Announces Tariffs on Key Component for Solar Panels and Semiconductors,” republished by Yahoo Finance, August 6, 2026.
6 Solar Power World, “Sec. 232 Polysilicon Results: The Price of All Imported Solar Panels Is Going Up,” August 6, 2026.
