Ainslie goes for solar power

RECENTLY married British sailor Sir Ben Ainslie has announced that his team’s headquarters for the 2017 America’s Cup is to be powered by solar energy.

The Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) HQ in Portsmouth, England, has entered into a long-term partnership with renewables investor Low Carbon to provide the team with clean energy. Currently under construction in Portsmouth, the HQ will be powered by the latest high-efficiency solar photovoltaic technology.

“We’re delighted to be on board with Low Carbon and this new partnership takes us a long way towards our goal of sustainable clean energy for our new base,” said Ainslie, the most successful sailor in Olympic history. 

Ninety per cent of the team’s electricity power will be initially supplied by the technology, increasing to 100 per cent once energy monitoring is in place. Ainslie’s America’s Cup base is due to be completed this summer.