U.S. module maker announces Department of Commerce waiver allowing cell imports

Texas-based T1 Energy has announced it has received a waiver from the Department of Commerce that will allow the company to import up to 1.725 GW of solar cells to supply its module assembly operations in Wilmer, Texas, just south of Dallas. 

The waiver allows the company to meet its supply needs without fear of punishment for stockpiling solar materials under the Trump administration’s Section 232 tariffs, set to take effect on Dec. 4, 2026. On that date, incoming shipments of polysilicon and silicon-based solar products will become subject to a 15% tariff alongside minimum import prices established in the order.

Ahead of that deadline, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security issued an emergency rule outlining criteria it would use to determine evidence of stockpiling, set import prohibition penalties for noncompliance and establish a process for companies to obtain a waiver. 

T1 Energy says its waiver request would supply it with the raw materials it needs to continue operations at its module facility while it completes construction on its G2_Austin solar cell fabrication facility, set to begin producing cells in the first quarter of 2027 in the Austin suburb of Rockdale.

“We appreciate the Commerce Department’s support in granting this waiver, allowing us to deliver solar modules assembled in Texas and expand U.S. solar cell manufacturing capacity without any unnecessary delays,” said T1 Energy CEO Dan Barcelo, in a statement. “Since the Section 232 proclamation, customer demand for domestic solar cells and modules has meaningfully risen, and receiving a waiver positions T1 to meet this demand.”

While other importers of solar materials have likely submitted similar waiver requests, T1 Energy appears to be the first company to publicly disclose receipt of such a waiver.