Canadian Solar Inc Donates Solar PV Panels to Remote Villages in Amazonia

Dec 2nd, 2011 8:47 AM

(Kitchener, Ontario, Dec 2, 2011) Dozens of impoverished villages in Brazil’s Amazonia region that do not have access to power will soon receive free, 21st century solar electricity thanks to an ocean container filled with 560 solar PV panels donated by Canadian Solar Solutions Incorporated (CSSI). Recently manufactured at CSSI’s new plant in Guelph, Ontario, they will be mounted on community structures such as schools, water pumping sheds, and hospital clinics. Combined with golf-cart batteries, the 230-watt solar PV panels will allow these villages to replace dangerous kerosene lights, pump clean water for the first time, light public buildings, preserve medicines and vaccines, and power cell phone and internet stations. The solar PV panels have been donated to the renowned Brazilian non-profit foundation IDEAAS, which has pioneered the delivery of solar power to remote, off-grid villages in Latin America and Africa where a typical personal income is $2 per day. IDEAAS will install and maintain the solar systems, using funds provided by The Wildside Foundation of Canada. It will also provide free solar lanterns which children can charge at school each day, then take home nightly. These will replace dangerous kerosene lamps, and reinforce school attendance. “I am thrilled about this donation, and deeply grateful to Canadian Solar and The Wildside Foundation.” says Fabio Rosa, the founder of IDEAAS. “These combined donations will offset almost $1 million in costs to IDEAAS, but the value to the Amazonia villages is priceless. They will go from the 19th Century to the 21st century in the few days the panels take to install, and have safe lighting and water for the next 25 years”. Milfred Hammerbacher, CSSI President, says “Being able to directly impact lives with solar is why I made solar my life’s passion. Communities such as these will benefit tremendously from this, and the lives of many will be forever improved. We are proud to support Fabio in his efforts to make a difference” “This is a perfect humanitarian partnership,” says Paul McKay of the Wildside Foundation. “Fabio Rosa provides the ingenuity and empathy to the poorest of the poor, and Canadian Solar generously supplies state-of-the-art technology. I am pleased to have brought both together. It is a way to reduce poverty, and protect our planet, in the same stroke.” The solar PV panels will arrive in Brazil before Christmas. Installations will begin in the spring of 2012. The recipient villages are on two tributaries of the Amazon, the Rio Tapajos and Rio Jari. To book an interview with Dr. Shawn Qu or Mildred Hammerbacher during the Conference and Exposition, please contact: Mela Sleep by calling 1.519.837.1881 x2231 or 1.519.498.2707 or via email mela.sleep@na.canadiansolar.com -30- About Canadian Solar Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is one of the world's largest solar companies. As a leading vertically integrated provider of ingot, wafer, solar cell, solar module and other solar applications, Canadian Solar designs, manufactures and delivers solar products and solar system solutions for on-grid and off-grid use to customers worldwide. With operations in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, Canadian Solar provides premium quality, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solar solutions to support global, sustainable development. For more information, please visit www.canadiansolar.com. Canadian Solar Solutions Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Solar Inc. For more information on Canadian Solar Solutions, visit www.canadian-solar.ca. Canadian Solar Solutions Inc. will be at Booth 1000, during the upcoming Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) Solar Canada 2011 Conference and Exposition in Toronto on December 5th and 6th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are made under the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by such terms as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include the risks regarding the previously disclosed SEC investigation, as well as general business and economic conditions and the state of the solar industry; governmental support for the deployment of solar power; future available supplies of high-purity silicon; demand for end-use products by consumers and inventory levels of such products in the supply chain; changes in demand from significant customers; changes in demand from major markets such as Germany; changes in customer order patterns; changes in product mix; capacity utilization; level of competition; pricing pressure and declines in average selling prices; delays in new product introduction; continued success in technological innovations and delivery of products with the features customers demand; shortage in supply of materials or capacity requirements; availability of financing; exchange rate fluctuations; litigation and other risks as described in the Company's SEC filings, including its annual report on Form 20-F filed on May 17, 2011. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance, or achievements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All information provided in this press release is as of today's date, unless otherwise stated, and Canadian Solar undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

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Canadian Solar Inc Donates Solar PV Panels to Remote Villages in Amazonia

Dec 2nd, 2011 8:47 AM