Bifacial PV modules can be imported to the US free of punitive tariffs

The U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) has reinstated the exclusion of bifacial solar modules from punitive import duties. Bifacial solar modules can thus be imported into the U.S. without punitive tariffs under the Trump administration's Section 201 trade regime. The exemption for bifacial modules, originally granted in June 2019, was revoked by the Trump administration in October 2020. According to the US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the CIT also lowered the tariff rate from 18 percent to 15 percent. Both measures will result in a refund of the duties collected.
The court concluded that withdrawing the exemption for bifacial solar panels and increasing the protective tariffs were both a clear misinterpretation of the law and acting outside the authority delegated by the president.
»The decision to rescind President Trump's executive order modifying the downward rate for Section 201 tariffs and rolling back the bifacial panel exclusion was clearly the right conclusion,« said Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA president and CEO. »Both of these actions were an unlawful attempt to tighten Section 201 duties.«
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