Solar and Soccer

I was at the InterSolar Europe Exhibition in Munich last week. We launched three new solar module products, HiDM, HiKu and BiKu. I also watched a few soccer World Cup games on TV in between customer meetings. As a matter of fact, my career in solar seems associated with the soccer World Cup. I attended the 1998 World Cup in France when I was working at Photowatt in Lyon before even I started Canadian Solar. I always remember the night that France won the championship: the excitement on the streets, the smell of wine, beer, cheese….yes, a truly celebratory night. (Below is an actual, unretouched photo from that event 😉.)

That year, the annual worldwide solar installation was less than 100MW. Fast forward to today, the annual worldwide solar installation is expected to be around 100GW, exactly a 1,000 time growth in 20 years. Canadian Solar is now 18 years old, and expected to deliver 7GW in 2018; what a great game!

How do we make sure our new solar products win the Solar Module World Cup? There are definite parallels to what makes a good soccer team. First, you have to be efficient and powerful. This is why we designed both our multi-crystalline and mono-crystalline silicon solar modules to generate over 400W. This is groundbreaking -- the first of very few 400W solar modules commercially available.

Second, you have to be well-rounded and able to play a little bit of every position. So we created our bifacial modules, again based on both multi and mono. Our players don’t just play forward, they can play defense if needed. Our modules don’t just generate electricity from the front, but also from the backside with the reflected and diffused light.

The third competitive edge needed to win the Solar Module World Cup, is to be cheap and affordable. This is very different from soccer since professional players are never cheap. For solar modules, you don’t want to pay the price of a soccer superstar.

Our new solar modules have accomplished all three: efficient and powerful, well-rounded to generate electricity from every angle, and affordable to help you win business.

And the good connection between solar and soccer continues. I welcome everyone to come to Canada for the World Cup 2026. After the G7 in Montreal a couple of weeks ago, soccer may be the only thing The Canadian Prime Minister and US President can still talk about. Fortunately, no matter what the political situation is or who wins the World Cup, the sun will keep shining, and Canadian Solar will keep introducing new solar products.