The imposition of import duties on import duties on solar panels was one of the first significant examples of trade policy implementation by the administration of President Donald Trump. As outlined in Panjiva research of January 22 duties of 30% were applied to shipments of CSPV cells.

Panjiva data total the case has been largely successful in squeezing importers out of the market, with a 74.6% drop in shipments in the first quarter vs. the fourth. Yet, a 33.6% rise in April vs. March suggests a degree of normalization with annualized shipments just 24% below 2014 levels.

Chart shows U.S. seaborne imports of solar panels covered by the section 201 review completed in January 2018. Source: Panjiva

At the national level imports from China were squeezed the hardest with a 96.5% drop in the first quarter sequentially in dollar terms, while shipments from Malaysia and South Korea “only” fell by 54.1% and 53.4% respectively. The latter two countries also saw a marked rebound in April, more than doubling in both instances.

Chart segments total U.S. imports of solar panels covered by the section 201 review completed in January 2018 by country of origin. Most recent month based on seaborne data only. Source: Panjiva

The suppliers that have proven most successful in the wake of the tariffs’ introduction have focused on those two countries by shifting production capacity. The two largest suppliers (Trina Solar with 22.3% of seaborne shipments and Longi with 14.1%) either have a more efficient products (Longi’s monosilicon product) or have aggressively shifted their supply chains to other countries (Trina). The latter process will likely continue with Longi setting up production in India and JinkoSolar (a distant third in April) in the U.S.

Chart segments U.S. seaborne imports of all solar panels by shipper. Source: Panjiva