Will solar panel prices go up in 2027?

Proclamation 11052, signed August 6, 2026, adds a 15% tariff on imported solar ingots, wafers, cells and panels entering the U.S. on or after December 4, 2026. It also sets minimum import prices, including 38 cents a watt for panels and 22 cents a watt for cells, so cheaper imports owe the difference.

The new duty stacks on top of other tariffs. Imports from the UK are capped at 10%, and imports from the EU, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan at 15% in total.

The Section 201 safeguard tariff on imported cells and panels expired on February 6, 2026. Antidumping and countervailing duties still apply to cells and panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, and Chinese-made solar products already face Section 301 tariffs. The new tariff is a broader layer on top.

No one knows yet. Solar.com says it's too early to tell how much rooftop prices will rise, and no government or major analyst forecast for home systems is public. SolarReviews estimates 3% to 5% on installed cost. On our estimate for a $200 FPL bill, about $25,900 for a 9.6 kW system, that would add about $800 to $1,300.

Panels are only one part of a home system's price, alongside labor, permits, racking and the inverter. See solar panel cost in Florida for what goes into a quote.

On July 28, 2026, the FCC added foreign-produced power inverters to its Covered List, which blocks new equipment authorizations. Inverters already installed or already authorized aren't affected. An August 20 revision narrowed the rule to grid-connected inverters that can communicate remotely and excluded inverters that qualify for the federal domestic manufacturing credit (Section 45X).

If you're getting quotes, ask which inverter and battery models are included and whether they're already authorized and supported. See microinverters vs. string inverters.

Yes, for panels arriving after the tariff starts. Supplier platform Anza reported in September 2026 that the median price for imported panels delivered after December 4 rose from about 27 cents to 38 cents a watt, roughly 40%, and that most suppliers on its platform had already adjusted prices. Panels brought into the U.S. before December 4 aren't subject to the new duty, so installers with stock on hand may hold prices for a while.

Not yet, as of mid-2026. Wood Mackenzie and SEIA found residential system prices fell 1.4% from a year earlier to $3.36 a watt in the second quarter of 2026, the only segment to decline, while commercial and utility prices rose. In Florida, EnergySage's average quote slipped from $2.17 a watt in 2025 to $2.12 in October 2026.

Demand is part of why. Wood Mackenzie expects U.S. residential installations to fall 23% in 2026 after the homeowner tax credit ended, which pushes installers to compete on price. Florida has been an exception, with home solar growing in early 2026. See Florida solar statistics. Expect the new panel tariff to show up in quotes during 2027.

Pressures run both ways. BloombergNEF found battery pack prices for stationary storage fell 45% in 2025 to about $70 per kWh, a wholesale figure far below installed home prices. But the Section 301 tariff on Chinese lithium-ion batteries for uses like home storage rose from 7.5% to 25% on January 1, 2026. See home battery cost in Florida for current installed prices.

There's no federal homeowner tax credit left to wait for: the 25D credit ended for systems completed after 2025. Florida's full-retail net metering hasn't changed. If tariffs push prices up, waiting costs you both the higher price and the bill savings you'd miss in the meantime.

The safest move is the same either way: get several quotes, compare the price per watt and equipment, and check them with our solar quote checker. See Florida solar incentives.