Commerce lifts duties on certain small Chinese solar devices

Stemming from the first U.S. solar trade cases, the decision means low-power solar devices, made in China generally to control lighting, can be imported into the American market without trade penalties.

July 28, 2025 Ben Santarris

Shipping containers.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. Department of Commerce said it will partially end trade duties on imports of certain small solar devices from China after it found little interest within the American domestic market in keeping the tariffs in place.

The Department of Commerce first imposed the affected duties in 2011 after it determined Chinese-made cells and modules were unfairly priced.

In 2024, Lutron Electronics Co. Inc., a U.S. maker and importer of solar-powered lighting control products, asked Commerce to consider eliminating duties for small, low-power, off-grid solar cells typically used in automated devices to control lighting elements, such as shades or blinds.

Based in Coopersburg, Pa., Lutron was founded in 1961 to debut the first solid-state electronic light dimmer switch. Solid state means that semiconductors, rather than moving parts or vacuum tubes, controlled the device’s electrical signals. As a result, they could be less bulky.

Today, the company designs and manufactures advanced lighting control systems, motorized window shades and temperature controls for both residential and commercial applications.

In response to Lutron’s request, Commerce launched a formal review, asked for industry input about lifting the duties and received no opposition from American manufacturers. In April, the agency announced it intended to remove the duties. After a public review period registered no response, Commerce made the decision final.

Freed from duties are certain small, rigid solar panels, with or without glass, that are built into automated lighting devices, provided that each panel produces 20 W or less, bears a surface area of less than 1,000 cm² and operates without a built-in inverter.

A list of solar products that were determined to be too small or specialized to threaten U.S. manufacturers were already excluded from the tariffs. Those generally are used for off-grid, low-output and consumer-integrated products.

Effective July 24, Commerce not only stopped collecting duties on these imports but also began refunding tariffs to companies who paid them back to Dec. 1, 2022, for antidumping duties and Jan. 1, 2022, for countervailing duties.

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