Photovoltaic Panels
Sourcing Guide & Market Intelligence

Tariffs to negatively impact the electrical systems and lighting components sector

• The Trump Administration’s reciprocal tariffs, which apply general tariff rate increases to most leading US trade partners, are set to take effect on August 7, after the administration finalized the rates on August 1. These changes will significantly increase the tariff rate on leading electrical system and lighting component exporting countries, including China (54.0%), Mexico (25.0%), Vietnam (20.0%), and Taiwan (20.0%).
• The United States also raised tariffs on aluminum and steel, common inputs in electrical systems and components, to 50.0% in July, adding to rising costs in this sector.
• Lighting companies, such as Signify, commonly operate factories in Mexico and import components from China, indicating that higher tariffs will increase operating costs for suppliers with domestic manufacturing operations, in addition to increasing the cost of imported finished products.
• As many electrical systems and components, such as electrical transformers and switchgear systems, are already facing shortages and price increases, higher tariffs are likely to drive up prices further. For example, electrical transformer prices have already risen 70.0% to 100.0% since 2020, and higher tariffs are expected to push up prices further as Mexico, Canada, and China supply 80.0% of the transformers used in the United States.
• Likewise, the United States is reliant on imports for many major lighting components. For example, according to the Department of Energy, 94.0% of all LED imports to the United States were manufactured in China.

China bans exports of rare minerals to the United States

• On December 4, China announced a ban on all exports of gallium, germanium, graphite, and antimony to the United States, escalating existing trade restrictions on these materials.
• China is the leading global producer of each of these metals, producing 98.3%, 67.9%, 62.0%, and 48.2%, respectively, of the world’s gallium, germanium, graphite, and antimony supplies, respectively.
• The United States can still access these resources from other trade partners who make up most of the remaining global supply of the impacted commodities, such as Canada, Japan, and Brazil.
• However, the loss of supply from China, the leading producer of these materials, will increase prices and supply chain risk in a range of markets that rely on the affected metals, such as the semiconductor, batteries, and solar cell markets.
• China’s export ban on these materials is in retaliation to expanded US export bans on advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment and technologies to China announced two days prior. This ongoing trade dispute adds further uncertainty to technology markets, which are often reliant on components and materials exported from China.

Russian invasion of Ukraine is putting additional strain on US chip supply

• Until recently, the United States sourced nearly all of its neon gas (an essential material in the laser imprinting process to produce semiconductors) from Ukrainian and Russian producers. Previous conflicts between the two nations, specifically related to the Crimea conflict in 2014, resulted in a nearly 600.0% increase in the price of neon.
• The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade announced in early June that it would be limiting neon gas exports as part of its sanctions against countries it views as unfriendly. This move will add to lead times and prices for neon.
• Downstream semiconductor manufacturers keep stockpiles of neon gas that have allowed them to continue manufacturing chips, though it is unknown how long these stockpiles will last. Semiconductor manufacturers will likely pay higher prices for neon gas outside Ukraine as global supplies dwindle.