Canadian Solar Inc. (the "Company", or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ: CSIQ) announced today that its subsidiary CSI Solar signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. ("CATL"), a global leader of new energy innovative technologies.

According to the agreement, CSI Solar and CATL will establish a strategic partnership to cooperate holistically in the areas of battery storage system solutions, supply of lithium-ion battery modules, operation and maintenance services of battery storage projects, and innovative renewable energy technology. 

Tan Libin, CATL's Vice President, commented, "Global demand for battery storage is increasing dramatically under the backdrop of reaching net-zero emission goals. Our competitive advantage is on delivering highly innovative, efficient, competitive, and safe batteries across various applications, while Canadian Solar is an early mover and one of the key players in the global battery energy storage business. Our partnership with Canadian Solar is a perfect match and allows us to build on both our strengths."

Dr. Shawn Qu, Canadian Solar's Chairman and CEO, added, "We are delighted to partner with CATL to support the rapid growth of our battery storage businesses. The partnership leverages CATL's innovative battery storage technology and our global reach and experience to provide best-in-class battery storage solutions to our customers. We now have a global battery storage pipeline of 21 GWh, including 2.9 GWh under construction. Our common goal is to use solar and battery storage technology to support a cleaner, smarter and more reliable global grid, and do our part in contributing to the acceleration of the clean energy transition."

About CATL

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) is a global leader in new energy technology innovation, committed to providing premier solutions and services for new energy applications worldwide. In June 2018, the company went public on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange with stock code 300750. According to SNE Research, in the year 2020, CATL's EV battery consumption volume ranked No.1 in the world for four consecutive years. CATL also enjoys wide recognition by global OEM partners. To achieve the goal of realizing fossil fuel replacement in stationary and mobile energy systems with highly efficient electrical power systems that are generated through advanced batteries and renewable energy, and promote the integrated innovation of market applications with electrification and intelligentization, CATL maintains continuous innovation in four dimensions including battery chemistry system, structure system, manufacturing system and business models. For more information, please visit http://www.catl.com 

About Canadian Solar Inc.

Canadian Solar was founded in 2001 in Canada and is one of the world's largest solar technology and renewable energy companies. It is a leading manufacturer of solar photovoltaic modules, provider of solar energy and battery storage solutions, and developer of utility-scale solar power and battery storage projects with a geographically diversified pipeline in various stages of development. Over the past 20 years, Canadian Solar has successfully delivered over 63 GW of premium-quality, solar photovoltaic modules to customers across the world. Likewise, since entering the project development business in 2010, Canadian Solar has developed, built and connected over 6.2 GWp in over 20 countries across the world. Currently, the Company has around 430 MWp of solar projects in operation, nearly 7 GWp of projects under construction or in backlog (late-stage), and an additional 17 GWp of projects in pipeline (mid- to early- stage). Canadian Solar is one of the most bankable companies in the solar and renewable energy industry, having been publicly listed on the NASDAQ since 2006. For additional information about the Company, follow Canadian Solar on LinkedIn or visit www.canadiansolar.com

Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release, including but not limited to the use of proceeds, 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 general business and economic conditions and the state of the solar industry; volatility, uncertainty, delays and disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic; 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 Japan, the U.S., India, China and Brazil; 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; delays in utility-scale project approval process; delays in utility-scale project construction; delays in the completion of project sales; delays in the process of qualifying to list the CSI Solar subsidiary in the PRC; 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 April 19, 2021. 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. Investors 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.