Yingli Solar's sustainable World Cup legacy

Yingli Green Energy, the vertically integrated photovoltaic module manufacturer known as Yingli Solar, has revealed its plans to leave a sustainable legacy in Brazil following the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Earlier this month, Yingli Solar announced its aim to become the first ever carbon neutral sponsor of the World Cup, offsetting all carbon emissions generated through its on-site sponsorship activations in Brazil for the tournament’s duration. The company has invested in carbon emissions reductions certificates generated by two factories operating via biomass in the Caatinga region of Alagoas in Brazil, thereby helping prevent deforestation and protect Brazil’s biodiversity.

Additionally, the company is supplying 400 to 600 kW for a solar legacy project in Brazil that is expected to be among the largest solar energy systems in the country. The installation was chosen jointly by FIFA and Yingli as an official CSR project of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

“Our solar legacy project will not only be an important legacy of the FIFA World Cup, but it will also be a boon to the country’s emerging solar energy industry,” said Markus Vlasits, country manager of Yingli Green Energy Brazil. “We are pleased to deliver a high-quality reference project that we hope will drive demand for similar projects across the country.”

Yingli Solar has been working with FIFA in order to leave solar legacies in the host countries of the FIFA World Cup competition since 2010, when the company became the first renewable energy sponsor. The company provided customised solar solutions to 20 ‘Football for Hope’ centres all over Africa through the ‘Football for Hope, Energy for Hope’ program, focused on improving the social environment for disadvantaged children in Africa.

“As the world’s largest solar panel provider and renewable energy partner to FIFA, we are proud to utilise our expertise to leave a positive legacy in the host countries of Africa and Brazil,” sad Judy Lee, Yingli’s vice president of global marketing. “We are excited that our joint project with FIFA will continue to serve the community and the environment here in Brazil well after the competition finishes.”