‘Buy American’ Solar Demand Falls to a Record 1 in 10
Q2 2026 A1 Solar Index Finds New Treasury Rules Disqualified Most Domestic Panels This Quarter These are commodities
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Q2 2026 A1 Solar Index Finds New Treasury Rules Disqualified Most Domestic Panels This Quarter
CORAL SPRINGS, FL, UNITED STATES, September 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — U.S.-made solar panel demand fell to 1 in 10 this quarter — the lowest score in the two years A1 SolarStore has tracked the market — even as federal policy pushes harder than ever toward domestic sourcing, according to the Q2 2026 A1 Solar Index.
The gap isn’t about interest — it’s regulatory. New Treasury guidance now requires the underlying ingot and wafer, not just coating and finishing, to be pulled on U.S. soil for a panel to qualify as domestic. That disqualified most panels still wearing the “US-Made” label, and pulled prices in that category down 8.87 percent in a single quarter. Cheaper imports aren’t picking up the slack either: combined tariffs on Chinese modules have held above 200 percent of product value for a fifth consecutive quarter.
“The irony is hard to miss,” said Alexey Kruglov, chief executive officer of A1 SolarStore. “Policy is designed to push buyers toward domestic product, but this quarter it did the opposite — disqualifying supply faster than U.S. manufacturing can replace it.”
Additional findings from the Q2 2026 A1 Solar Index:
1. Retail buyers lost most of their negotiating leverage this quarter, as the gap between listing and transaction price narrowed from $0.118/W in Q1 to just $0.054/W in Q2, converging with wholesale terms
2. The 600W+ segment inverted entirely, flipping from a $0.004/W discount in Q1 to a $0.138/W premium in Q2, as commercial EPCs raced to lock in compliant, high-wattage supply ahead of the July 4 investment tax credit deadline
3. Solar panel inventory nearly doubled quarter-over-quarter, closing within 10 percent of the market’s all-time high as importers positioned stock ahead of the July tariff and ITC deadlines
The Q2 2026 A1 Solar Index tracks three dimensions of market health — price stability (40%), inventory levels (30%), and demand change (30%) — sourced from real buyer transactions, not surveys or forecasts. Full pricing, inventory, and regional demand data are covered in the full Q2 2026 report.
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About A1 SolarStore
A1 SolarStore is America’s #1 specialized supplier of solar equipment and home energy solutions. Since 2017, the company has served homeowners, DIYers, contractors, and commercial buyers through a catalog of 200+ brands and a network of 150+ pickup locations.
A1 Solar Index is the company’s quarterly outlook on the US solar market and its main contribution to industry research. Each edition combines A1 SolarStore’s own data – what is selling, at what price per watt, and in which states.
Egor Uchvatov
A1 SolarStore
press@a1solarstore.com
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