Yingli Solar recently hosted a press conference in Rio de Janeiro to announce the company’s plans to leave a sustainable legacy in Brazil. These plans include becoming the first ever carbon neutral sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, and 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.
Yingli 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 and the first Chinese sponsor. The company provided customized solar solutions to 20 “Football for Hope” centers all over Africa through the “Football for Hope, Energy for Hope” program, focused on improving the social environment for disadvantaged children in Africa even post FIFA World Cup.
“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,” says Judy Lee, Yingli Solar, vice president global marketing.
“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,” says Markus Vlasits, country manager of Yingli Green Energy Brazil.
To become carbon neutral, Yingli is offsetting all carbon emissions generated through its onsite 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 valuable biodiversity.
“Sustainability is one of the key tenants in our vision for the 2014 FIFA World Cup,” says Federico Addiechi, head of FIFA corporate social responsibility. “Environmental initiatives, such as the one presented Yingli, are contributing to increasing the positive impact of the FIFA World Cup on society and the environment.”
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