--- title: Biden Extends Trump’s Solar Tariffs With Key Exemption description: Tariffs make some imports more expensive and could slow Biden’s efforts to eliminate carbon-dioxide emissions from U.S. power grids by 2035. canonical: https://time.com/6145139/biden-solar-tariffs/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2022-02-04T14:39:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T10:47:10.526Z article:section: Climate og:title: Biden Extends Trump’s Solar Tariffs With Key Exemption og:description: The move could slow Biden’s efforts to eliminate carbon-dioxide emissions from U.S. power grids by 2035. og:url: https://time.com/6145139/biden-solar-tariffs/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7fa6fca0eec818aa/698a221f929fada585bf83cc/solar-power-tariffs-biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Residential Solar Panel Installation Ahead Of SolarCity Corp. Earnings Figures og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Biden Extends Trump’s Solar Tariffs With Key Exemption twitter:description: The move could slow Biden’s efforts to eliminate carbon-dioxide emissions from U.S. power grids by 2035. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7fa6fca0eec818aa/698a221f929fada585bf83cc/solar-power-tariffs-biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Biden Extends Trump’s Solar Tariffs With Key Exemption > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [JENNIFER A. DLOUHY, BRIAN ECKHOUSE AND JUSTIN SINK/BLOOMBERG](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## JENNIFER A. DLOUHY, BRIAN ECKHOUSE AND JUSTIN SINK/BLOOMBERG Contributor Feb 4, 2022 2:39 PM UTC  SolarCity Corp. employees install solar panels on the roof of a home in Kendall Park, New Jersey, U.S., on Tuesday, July 28, 2015. SolarCity Corp. employees install solar panels on the roof of a home in Kendall Park, New Jersey, U.S., on Tuesday, July 28, 2015. Michael Nagle/Bloomberg—Getty Images by [JENNIFER A. DLOUHY, BRIAN ECKHOUSE AND JUSTIN SINK/BLOOMBERG](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## JENNIFER A. DLOUHY, BRIAN ECKHOUSE AND JUSTIN SINK/BLOOMBERG Contributor Feb 4, 2022 2:39 PM UTC (Bloomberg)—President Joe Biden is set to extend tariffs on imported solar equipment but leave in place a critical exemption, a senior administration official said, attempting a middle-ground approach intended to boost domestic manufacturing as well as U.S. renewable-energy deployment. The tariffs had been scheduled to expire in early February and will now run for another four years, in keeping with an earlier recommendation from the U.S. International Trade Commission. Former President [Donald Trump](https://time.com/5113472/donald-trump-solar-panel-tariff/) introduced the tariffs in 2018. Biden’s move includes an exemption for imported two-sided, or bifacial, panels, according to the official, who declined to be identified because the details aren’t yet public. The exclusion, which covers a big part of the [U.S. solar market](https://time.com/5118049/donald-trump-tariff-solar-panels/), had been granted by Trump, who later tried to eliminate it, though the exemption remains in place. The president is also doubling the allowable import quota for duty-free solar cells to 5 gigawatts, enabling companies to import their proprietary cells. The decision was rooted in the recognition that the U.S. does not currently produce solar cells and module manufacturers shouldn’t have to pay a tariff on a key input, the administration official said. Tariffs make the imports more expensive and could slow Biden’s efforts to [eliminate carbon-dioxide emissions](https://time.com/5910008/joe-biden-climate-change-election/) from U.S. power grids by 2035\. The target was a key component of his presidential campaign and won over progressives who have called for bold action to battle the worsening climate crisis. The exemption for two-sided panels—previously decried by some domestic manufacturing advocates as a loophole—could ensure steady low-cost imports of those devices, which are now widely used in large [U.S. solar projects](https://time.com/3723592/inside-the-worlds-largest-solar-power-plant/). Biden’s approach was described as a “balanced solution,” by the Solar Energy Industries Association. The group’s chief executive, Abigail Ross Hopper, praised the exemption for bifacial panels. “Today’s decision recognizes the importance of this innovative technology in helping to improve power output and lower costs in the utility segment,” she said in an emailed statement. The development nonetheless will probably frustrate some domestic solar manufacturers that had opposed the exemption. Biden faces dueling priorities when it comes to solar. On one hand, he wants the U.S. to use more of it to reduce carbon emissions. On the other, tariffs help U.S. panel makers compete with Chinese rivals. [China](https://time.com/5714267/china-green-energy/) dominates the world’s solar manufacturing, though the U.S. imports most of its panels from Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, including from factories owned by Chinese companies. The tariffs Biden is extending are layered on top of existing antidumping and countervailing duties on solar cells and panels from China. Administration officials and solar supporters have separately urged congressional passage of legislation with expanded tax credits for solar energy and advanced energy manufacturing. The senior administration official stressed that tariffs alone are not going to bring back solar cell production or grow module production in the U.S. sufficiently to meet the country’s needs. Biden also has directed the U.S. trade representative to conclude agreements with Canada and Mexico with the aim of excluding them from the tariffs. The U.S. International Trade Commission recommended in December extending the tariffs after determining that solar imports remain a threat to U.S. manufacturers. Still, the move is likely to frustrate climate proponents who had called for Biden to eliminate them a year ago after his inauguration. —With assistance from Ari Natter and Jenny Leonard. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6145139/biden-solar-tariffs/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6145139/biden-solar-tariffs/"},"headline":"Biden Extends Trump’s Solar Tariffs With Key Exemption","datePublished":"2022-02-04T14:39:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T10:47:10.526Z","description":"Tariffs make some imports more expensive and could slow Biden’s efforts to eliminate carbon-dioxide emissions from U.S. power grids by 2035.","url":"https://time.com/6145139/biden-solar-tariffs/","keywords":["policy","climate change","wire","healthscienceclimate","bloomberg wire"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7fa6fca0eec818aa/698a221f929fada585bf83cc/solar-power-tariffs-biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"JENNIFER A. 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