Commerce reviews narrow duty exclusion for Chinese portable solar panels

Commerce initiated four changed-circumstances reviews on July 29, 2026, to consider partial revocation of antidumping and countervailing duty orders on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and products from China. The request covers a narrow class of off-grid small portable CSPV panels and does not itself revoke any part of the orders.

The proposed exclusion covers panels, with or without a glass cover, that satisfy all of these criteria: no more than 200 watts total power output; no more than 16,000 square centimeters of surface area; a wire that is permanently connected or included in the package and terminates in the specified waterproof connector with cylindrical positive and rectangular negative electrodes in an interlocking structure; no built-in inverter; and individual retail packaging.

RNG International requested the reviews. The American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing and T1 Energy said they did not oppose the requested partial revocation, but Commerce said the submissions did not establish whether those producers represent at least 85 percent of U.S. production of the domestic like product. Commerce therefore initiated reviews without combining initiation with expedited preliminary results.

Interested parties may submit comments and factual information about industry support and the proposed exclusion language no later than 14 days after the July 29 publication date. The notice requires electronic filing through ACCESS on all four proceeding records and requires a complete filing by 5 p.m. eastern time on the due date. That makes the initial comment deadline August 12, 2026. Rebuttal comments and rebuttal factual information may be filed no later than seven days after the underlying comments or factual information are filed.

Commerce will publish preliminary results after reviewing the record, followed by an opportunity to comment and eventual final results. Until Commerce publishes a final partial revocation, the existing written scopes, suspension instructions, and cash-deposit requirements remain operative.

Action items

• Check all five proposed physical and packaging criteria; a product should not be treated as eligible based only on wattage or marketing description.
• Continue applying the current China solar-cell and solar-product orders unless and until Commerce publishes final revocation and implementation instructions.
• File comments and supporting factual information on all four ACCESS records by 5 p.m. eastern August 12 if the company has a direct interest.
• Preserve specifications, connector drawings, surface-area calculations, packaging evidence, exporter identity, entry dates, and liquidation status for potentially eligible panels.
• Monitor the preliminary and final changed-circumstances results before changing deposit assumptions.