Canadian Solar Remains Main Sponsor of Italian Basketball Team Virtus Pallecanestro Bologna

MILAN, Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ), one of the world's largest solar companies, has renewed its sponsorship agreement for the third year in a row with Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, the Italian Lega A basketball team named Canadian Solar Virtus Bologna.

Under the new agreement with Virtus, Canadian Solar reconfirmed their main sponsor status of one of the most popular and successful basketball teams in Italy for the coming 2011-12 season. In addition to the exclusive naming rights of the team, the Canadian Solar logo will also be prominent on the team's uniforms. Canadian Solar will also receive dedicated marketing, hospitality and promotional privileges within the stadium during the entire 2011-2012 season.

"The decision to continue as main sponsor underlines Canadian Solar's commitment to the Italian market and to partnership that embody Canadian Solar's  core values and principles. Like Canadian Solar, Virtus is determined to achieve the best results, to bring passion to each game, and has a strong history of success. We are a proud main sponsor and we look forward to increasing awareness of the Canadian Solar brand and reaching an ever growing audience in support of our loyal customer base in Italy," said Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar.

"It is with great satisfaction that we announce the continuation of our partnership with Canadian Solar", confirmed Claudio Sabatini, President of Virtus Pallecanestro Bologna. "For the third year running, Virtus is aligned with a world-renowned company that demonstrates long-term commitment and gives us great optimism for the 2011/2012 season.

About Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ)

Canadian Solar Inc. is one of the world's largest solar companies. As a leading vertically integrated provider of ingots, wafers, solar cells, solar modules 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 and Asia, Canadian Solar provides premium quality, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solar solutions to support global, sustainable development. For more information, visit www.canadiansolar.com.