If you're one of the over 3 billion viewers estimated to be watching the 2014 World Cup, you may have noticed Chinese characters on the boards surrounding the pitches. "中国 • 英利 光伏入户" -- "Yingli Solar: Solar into every home" -- is in front of the citizens of the world at every match, and sends a big message: Solar and China are on the rise.
With soccer becoming extremely popular in China, it's unsurprising that a Chinese corporation would try and jump in on the advertising. Yingli's sponsorship is on the same level as American industry giants Budweiser, McDonalds and Johnson & Johnson, and their involvement in the games is not limited to billboards.
Sustainability has taken a front seat in Brazil this summer, with two of of the 12 stadiums boasting sizable solar installations. Combined, the two stadiums are capable of offsetting roughly 1,150 tons of carbon dioxide each year. After the World Cup has concluded, the stadiums will continue to power almost 900 homes in Brazil for the next 25 years.
In the fall of 2013, Climate Desk reporters Jaeah Lee and James West visited Yingli's corporate headquarters in Baoding, China's self-proclaimed renewable energy capital. In the video above, they show the inside look they were able to get at the company that is the World Cup's first ever renewable energy sponsor and the world's largest solar panel manufacturer.
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