The Biden administration announced on Wednesday the lifting of a tariff exemption granted in 2019 for bifacial solar modules, a move aimed at preventing Chinese imports from undercutting U.S. solar manufacturing.
The White House cited a significant surge in imports of the two-sided solar panels as the reason for restoring the tariffs under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974. This exemption had been in place since the Trump administration first implemented it.
In addition, the administration will allow clean energy developers to more easily utilize bonus tax credits for domestic content under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This will be achieved by permitting developers to rely on default cost percentages from the U.S. Department of Energy.
“We’re taking these new actions this week to support U.S. clean energy industries, to reduce emissions, and to ensure fair competition with China,” said John Podesta, senior adviser for international climate policy, during a call with reporters.
The Trump administration had attempted to reinstate the tariffs in October 2020 under Section 204 of the Trade Act. However, the U.S. Court of International Trade restored the exemption the following year, ruling that Section 204 was intended to liberalize trade, not restrict it.
