Wirsol, a privately owned photovoltaic retailer, acquired the naming rights to Hoffenheim’s Rhein-Neckar Arena in a three-year partnership. Financial details of the contract have not been disclosed. China’s Suntech Power Holdings, Q-Cells, Solarworld and Yingli Green Energy, which is also a sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, have signed deals with Bundesliga clubs in recent months.
“Soccer sponsoring increases brand awareness and may lead to new customers,” Henning Wicht, a solar analyst at researcher IHS Isuppli, told Bloomberg. “It also shows that solar energy companies are entering the mainstream.”
Wirsol has joined shirt sponsor Suntech at Hoffenheim, while Q- Cells signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Bundesliga champion Borussia Dortmund. Yingli has been a “premium sponsor” of Bayern Munich since March and Solarworld, Germany’s largest module maker, began sponsoring Cologne two years ago.
