New US Petition Targets Ethiopia Solar Imports

The coalition of 8 US solar PV manufacturers, known as the Alliance for American Solar Manufacturing and Trade (AASMT), has called for a new antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) investigation into solar imports. This time, it claims manufacturers are importing crystalline silicon solar PV cells and modules assembled in Ethiopia using Chinese-origin components. 

The companies allege that manufacturers are ‘exploiting’ Ethiopia as a new export base to avoid existing US AD/CVD orders on Chinese solar products. According to the filing with the Department of Commerce (DOC), manufacturers are routing Chinese wafers and other key components through limited manufacturing operations in Ethiopia before exporting finished solar cells and modules to the US. 

These practices allow producers to bypass US trade measures that were previously imposed on solar imports from China and certain Southeast Asian countries. AASMT is seeking a formal inquiry to determine whether imports from Ethiopia should also be subject to the same duties. 

“What we're seeing in Ethiopia follows a familiar playbook,” said Tim Brightbill, Partner and Co-Chair of the Trade Practice at Wiley Rein LLP, representing AASMT. "For over a decade, state-subsidized manufacturers have responded to U.S. trade enforcement by relocating minimal finishing operations to the next available country, while continuing to source nearly all their inputs from the same foreign suppliers.”  

Manufacturers Named in the Filing 

The filing names TOYO Solar Manufacturing (TOYO Ethiopia) and Origin Solar Manufacturing as the companies that make cells from Chinese-origin wafers in Ethiopia and then assemble them into modules either in Ethiopia or in Vietnam for export to the US. 

TOYO claims its wafers come from Indonesia, as per Wiley, which says Indonesia shipped ‘almost nothing’ to Ethiopia during the period. 

TOYO operates 6 GW solar cell capacity, including 4 GW in Ethiopia and 2 GW in Vietnam. It doubled the nameplate capacity of the Ethiopian fab due to high demand in the US, where it operates a 1 GW solar module factory; it will be expanded to 2 GW in 2026. It has locked in polysilicon supply from a US manufacturer to steer clear of the Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) supply. The company earned record revenue of $427.4 million in FY2025 while surpassing its annual solar cell shipment target (see TOYO’s FY2025 Revenue Climbs 142% YoY). 

Another manufacturer named in the petition is Origin Solar, which is operating from the Hawassa Special Economic Zone in Ethiopia. According to the Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC) of Ethiopia, Origin Solar operates a 4.2 GW cell factory, while Canadian Solar is set to launch its factory in Hawassa. 

According to the alliance, US imports of solar cells and modules from Ethiopia surged from zero in June 2025 to over $300 million by the end of the year. 

Earlier this year, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the country will earn more than $900 million from solar cell exports alone next year.   

The AASMT alliance – comprising DYCM Power, First Solar, Great Lakes Solex PR, Hanwha Q CELLS USA, Silfab Solar, Suniva, Swift Solar, and Talon PV – is asking the DOC to initiate a countrywide inquiry within 30 days.  

“American solar manufacturing is at an inflection point: With billions invested, thousands of jobs created, and real capacity coming online, we are not going to stand by and allow serial tariff evasion to undercut that progress,” stressed Brightbill.  

Timeline of AD/CVD Investigations into US Solar Imports 

The original Solar I antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders on Chinese solar products were introduced in December 2012 after US authorities found dumping and unfair subsidies. Production later shifted to Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, leading to new circumvention findings in 2023 and additional Solar III duties in mid-2025 (see USITC Issues Final Injury Determination In AD/CVD Investigation).  

Following the imposition of these duties, Imports from these 4 countries fell sharply from $12.2 billion in 2023 to $1.3 billion in 2025, shares Wiley. 

In July 2025, AASMT launched a new set of Solar IV trade cases against India, Indonesia, and Laos. In February 2026, DOC issued preliminary subsidy rulings followed by preliminary dumping rulings in April 2026 (see US: Up To 123% ADD On Solar Imports From India, Laos, Indonesia). 

If the DOC initiates an investigation, it could lead to tariffs being imposed on Ethiopian-assembled solar products entering the US market. 

Diverging Views Among Stakeholders  

While this is one section of US manufacturers, SEG Solar CEO and Co-Founder Jim Wood presents another viewpoint as a US module manufacturer (see SEG Solar Expanding US Module Production Capacity To 6 GW). 

Stressing that SEG Solar was not involved in the Ethiopia trade complaint, Wood said he learned about it 24 hours before the filing was made public. While Wood said he is in favor of addressing unfair trade practices, he pointed out that major policy decisions for the ‘very large and diverse’ US solar industry are being shaped by a relatively small group of companies. 

“My point is not that Ethiopia should or should not be investigated. My point is that the process matters. If we want a strong domestic solar manufacturing base, we need policy that reflects the full industry — not just the loudest or most organized few,” explained Wood in a LinkedIn post. 

He added, “When trade actions are pursued without broader industry visibility or coordination, the result can be more uncertainty, more supply-chain pivots, and more confusion for customers.”