According to the US Department of Commerce, imports from India in 2024 amounted to 2.3 GW, valued at $ 792.64 million, up from $84 million in 2022
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Bloomberg
The US Department of Commerce has announced 125.8 per cent countervailing duties on solar cells and modules imported from India (and Indonesia and Laos), as a preliminary measure pending a final determination; Indian manufacturers have shrugged off the move, broadly saying they have other business options.
The US action was based on a petition by the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade, which has alleged “unfair” market distorting subsidies to Indian solar manufacturers. The final determination is expected on July 6.
Solar industry body, National Solar Energy Federation of India, has said that it “remains optimistic” that as the US-India trade deal is being fine-tuned, “these duties are likely to be superseded” by the deal.
Robust alternative
However, even otherwise, the Indian manufacturers have other options. “The Indian government has already initiated a strategic process to allow solar manufacturing units within Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to sell their products in the Domestic Tariff Area (DTA),” notes Subrahmanyam Pulipaka, CEO of the Federation, adding that it would be a “robust alternative”.
BSE-listed solar manufacturer Vikram Solar has said that it can sell in the US from elsewhere. “We already operate with a diversified supply chain for that market, including sourcing from geographies with lower tariff exposure,” says Gyanesh Chaudhary, Chairman and Managing Director of Vikram Solar, also noting that the company’s growth strategy “continues to be firmly anchored in India.”
Premier Energies, also listed on the BSE, has said that the US announcement has “no material impact on us,” because the company has already reduced its exports to businesses to “almost nil”. Vinay Rustagi, Chief Business Officer, Premier, has observed that since the US investigation began in August 2025, “Indian manufacturers have had a long time to refine their sales strategy.”
Emmvee Photovoltaics, which came out with its IPO in November 2025, has also said that the US duties would have “no impact” as its business is “primarily aligned to domestic demand.”
The Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade has said that its petition aimed to stop “the ongoing pattern of market-distorting and anti-competitive practices by solar producers in India, Indonesia and Laos.”
Earlier, it had said that after it successfully “addressed illegally dumped and subsidised solar panels surging into the US from Southeast Asia, some Chinese-backed companies wasted no time shifting operations to Laos and Indonesia, and companies in India joined in to continue undercutting American producers.”
According to the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the country imported 56 GW of modules and 13.8 GW of cells in 2024. The data portal, Statista, puts the value of imports that year at $15.2 billion. According to the US Department of Commerce, imports from India in 2024 amounted to 2.3 GW, valued at $ 792.64 million, up from $84 million in 2022.
Published on February 25, 2026