Eight solar manufacturing companies in the United States have called on the US Department of Commerce to launch an investigation into what they allege are unfair trade practices involving solar panels assembled in Ethiopia using Chinese-made components.
Eight US-based solar producers have submitted a formal petition to the US Department of Commerce seeking scrutiny of what they describe as unfair trade activities tied to solar products put together in Ethiopia with parts sourced from China.
The filing, submitted on Tuesday, reportedly includes leading industry players such as First Solar, Q-Cells, Suniva, and Talon PV, according to a Bloomberg report.
In their complaint, the firms claim that Chinese solar manufacturers are sidestepping existing US tariffs on Chinese-made solar goods by relocating portions of their production and assembly processes to Ethiopia, before exporting the final products into the United States.
Ethiopian exports surge
Petitioners say US imports of solar products from Ethiopia rose sharply from almost nothing before June 2025 to roughly $300 million by December 2025.
The case adds to a growing list of complaints from American solar manufacturers, who argue that Chinese companies are evading US anti-dumping and countervailing duties by shifting production to other countries.
Earlier in the year, the US Department of Commerce found that firms operating in countries such as India, Indonesia and Laos were selling solar products in the US at unfairly low prices, leading to the imposition of preliminary tariffs on those imports.
Despite increasing regulatory attention, the bulk of US solar imports still originate from countries including Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and Germany, with only a relatively small portion coming from other emerging supply routes.