Q1 2026 A1 Solar Index: U.S. solar panel prices surged 61% to $0.560/watt as domestic supply hit record lows. Trade tariffs eliminated Chinese, Southeast Asian, and Indian imports, but U.S. manufacturing hasn’t scaled to fill the gap. Inventory sits at just 42% of last year’s peak, buyers paid above asking price in 6 of 8 regions, and raw material costs keep climbing — just as peak installation season begins.
Coral Springs, FL June 24, 2026 –(PR.com)– U.S.-made solar panel prices jumped 61 percent in a single quarter to $0.560 per watt — even as demand for domestic modules fell to its lowest recorded score — according to the Q1 2026 A1 Solar Index.
The gap is supply-driven. Trade penalties exceeding 200 percent made Chinese panels commercially unviable years ago. Import duties shut off Southeast Asia in mid-2025. India — which absorbed more than half of U.S. solar imports in early 2025 — now faces preliminary duties already collected at the border. Domestic manufacturing has not scaled fast enough to replace what trade policy removed.
“Every detour the market found — Southeast Asia, then India — policy closed before domestic supply could fill the gap,” said Alexey Kruglov, chief executive officer of A1 SolarStore. “The Q1 data is clear: there are no compliant, affordable alternatives left. Buyers have to plan around what U.S. manufacturing can actually deliver.”
Additional findings from the Q1 2026 A1 Solar Index:
The composite index closed at 83, up five points from Q4 2025, as inventory doubled quarter-over-quarter — though levels remain at just 42 percent of the Q1 2025 peak.
Buyers paid above asking price for the second consecutive quarter across six of eight active U.S. regions.
All three key raw material inputs — silver, aluminum, and polysilicon — are rising heading into peak installation season.
The Q1 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. Brand performance across 87 manufacturers, regional maps, and state incentive breakdowns are all covered in the full Q1 2026 report.
A1 SolarStore is one of the leading U.S. suppliers of solar panels and energy equipment, serving customers from individual homeowners to commercial contractors. The A1 Solar Index is a proprietary quarterly indicator built exclusively on real marketplace transaction data.
Contact Information:
A1 SolarStore
Egor Uchvatov
+38268587759
Contact via Email
a1solarstore.com
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