Bifacial modules now exempt from Trump’s trade tariffs

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The change opens a route to market for China-made modules. Source: Trina Solar.

Bifacial solar modules are now officially exempt from President Trump’s trade tariffs.

Modules imported from all the major producing countries are levied at 25% currently, falling to 20% in February next year under the Section 201 measures.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

A statement by the US trade representative yesterday confirmed that the exemption would be entered on the Federal Register on Thursday.

Many Chinese manufacturers face both anti-dumping duties and the Section 201 levies. Between January and September 2018, only 46MW of modules were imported from mainland China to the US. The latest twist creates a route to market for China-sourced modules into the US.

Bifacial breakthrough

The technology has spent some time hamstrung by a lack of performance data. This has made some investors wary of financing projects. As technology costs have continued to fall a new strategy has emerged to sidestep the ‘chicken-and-egg’ situation. Developers of three different projects on three different continents have told PV Tech that they are essentially financing bifacial solar projects based on projections of the front-side power only. After a few years of operation, site-specific data on the yield from the rear side will present the opportunity to refinance based on power from both sides, theoretically lowering the cost of that finance.

Meanwhile, Chinese module manufacturers are preparing for significant growth in bifacial demand.

Enel Green Power has been selecting bifacial modules for projects in Australia and Mexico. One Chinese module manufacturer told PV Tech it expects all Middle East utility plants to opt for bifacial panels from this point forward.

17 June 2025
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 17-18 June 2025, will be our fourth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2026 and beyond.
7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.

Read Next

June 9, 2025
Solar manufacturer Qcells has launched a recycling arm, called EcoRecycle, and a recycling plant in the US state of Georgia.
Premium
June 9, 2025
N-type polysilicon prices have dropped to RMB34,000/ton as the project installation rush ends, putting cost pressure on the industrial chain.
June 9, 2025
Saatvik Solar, a unit of Saatvik Green Energy Limited (SGEL), is building a 4.8GW solar cell and 4GW module manufacturing facility in Ganjam district of Odisha.
June 9, 2025
Growing political headwinds threaten to dent US solar manufacturing and project deployment, despite a strong start to 2025.
June 9, 2025
US residential solar installer Sunnova has laid off more than half of its workforce, while a subsidiary from Delaware filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
June 6, 2025
rPlus Energies has secured more than US$500 million for an 800MW solar-plus-storage project in Emery County, Utah, US.  

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece