Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump met for the first time Tuesday in their first presidential debate of the 2024 election in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In this debate, Trump said he’s a “big fan” of solar power.
Prior to this, Trump had never been very supportive of green energy, stating that global climate change was a “scam”.
During his tenure, Trump had dealt a severe blow to the import of PV products into the US.
Trump introduced Section 201 and Section 301 in 2018, imposing heavy taxes of 30% and 25% on solar cells and modules imported into the United States, with a focus on China.
But when it comes to bifacial solar panels, Trump had always been indecisive. In June 2019, the Section 201 exempted bifacial solar panels. Just four months later, in October 2019, it was announced that this exemption was canceled.
Trump proposed in November 2020 to raise the tax rate from 15% to 18% and once again cancel the exemption for bifacial solar panels. However, the proposal was not approved.
In the early stages of his campaign, Trump also stated that if elected, he may halt Biden administration’s IRA tax breaks and subsidies for the PV industry.
