Solar Energy Provider Gets Kick From Soccer Industry

A leading solar energy provider is sponsoring a soccer championship in Beijing later this month in celebration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Germany and China.

Germany’s FC Bayern Munchen, one of the top soccer clubs in the world, and Beijing Guoan, a popular Chinese soccer team, will duel at the “Yingli Cup” July 24 at the Workers Stadium in Beijing. The game is sponsored by Yingli Green Energy, one of the world’s largest vertically integrated photovoltaic manufacturers.

The soccer match is a manifestation of the company’s desire to use innovative marketing techniques to advance social responsibility. The game will be the first of its kind to be hosted by a renewable energy company in China.

“We are excited that the Chinese fans will be able to enjoy and watch live a match between two of the most popular teams this summer in Beijing,” said Liangsheng Miao, chairman and chief executive officer of Yingli Green Energy. ”We are also honored to be utilizing our global marketing platforms not only to contribute to diplomatic relationships between China and Germany but also to give back to the community.”

There’s a legitimate link between soccer and solar energy, according to the Yingli Green Energy website. Viewership of the Men’s World Cup in the U.S. grew by 68 percent from 2006-2010, according to the site. During that same period, American solar system installations grew by 527 percent. And four of the top five solar energy markets are among the top five in U.S. Soccer attendance.

In 2010, the company sponsored the FIFA World Cup in an effort to capitalize on this soccer-solar energy connection. The company is currently signed on to sponsor the U.S. men’s, women’s and youth soccer teams through 2014.

Headquartered in Baoding, China, Yingli Green Energy manufactures every component of the solar systems it sells, from the solar cells to the modules that contain them. The company distributes its product to Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, South Korea, China and the United States.

Each year since 2010, another batch of 10 students travels to Tanzania to continue Oregon Tech's work providing energy for schools, hospitals and orphanages. This year the students will also take eight laptops allowing villages access to the internet as connections allow.

For the first time this trip, the group will revisit past sites to install equipment invented by last year's seniors that allow monitoring of the solar systems online. The data will allow Dr. Petrovic to ensure the installations stay working.

The humanitarian work also is made possible by donations from Hillsboro-based SolarWorld. SolarWorld has donated 30 panels to the program, and is invested in continuing to help it grow.

"This is about more than simply installing solar panels; it's about facilitating access to education, communications, medical services and clean, safe drinking water," says Gordon Brinser, president of SolarWorld Industries America.

The initial inspiration for the program came about during Dr. Petrovic's 2009 trip to Tanzania, when a terrible accident changed his perspective forever. "There was a girl in the dormitory in one of the schools using a candle hidden under her blanket so she could read," Dr. Petrovic says. "She fell asleep, and her blanket caught fire. Thirteen girls died. I want to prevent these tragedies."

In addition to installing solar panels, this year Dr. Petrovic and his students will build a large solar water pumping project to provide drinking water for a village of 3,000 people on Lake Nyasa.