FCC Drafts Rule to Bar Chinese Solar Inverter Imports Over Grid Risk

A proposed prohibition targeting Chinese-made inverters would affect the dominant global supplier of a critical power-conversion technology, with implementation timelines and enforcement...

The Federal Communications Commission is drafting a rule that would prohibit imports of Chinese-manufactured solar and battery inverters into the United States, citing concerns about potential disruptions to the domestic power grid, according to a Reuters report published June 2026. The rule would apply to new foreign models of inverters and could be published as a formal notice of proposed rulemaking as early as this calendar year.

Inverters are devices that convert direct-current electricity generated by solar panels or stored in batteries into alternating-current electricity usable by homes and businesses. China is the dominant global producer of inverters, with companies including Sungrow and Huawei among the leading manufacturers by market share, according to industry data cited in Reuters reporting.

The FCC's rulemaking authority in this domain stems from its mandate to regulate communications devices and equipment that could interface with or disrupt critical infrastructure. The agency has previously used similar authority to restrict other Chinese telecommunications equipment, including actions against Huawei and ZTE documented in FCC docket proceedings. Whether inverter technology falls squarely within that statutory authority is a question that legal analysts and affected industry stakeholders have not yet publicly resolved.

The practical scope of the rule remains unclear. The reported draft applies to new foreign models, but it is not yet known whether existing installed Chinese inverter equipment would be subject to any retrofit, removal, or operational restrictions. A published notice of proposed rulemaking, once issued, would open a formal public comment period under the Administrative Procedure Act, at which point affected manufacturers, utilities, solar installers, and grid operators could submit documented responses.

What is not yet publicly available includes the full draft rule text, any accompanying cost-benefit analysis required under Executive Order 12866, and the specific technical criteria the FCC would use to define prohibited equipment. Those documents would be accessible once filed in the relevant FCC docket on the agency's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). The identity of any industry parties who have already submitted informal comments or participated in pre-rulemaking consultations is also not yet part of the public record.