TRIPLE Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie unveiled solar panels that will help power a Portland sport centre through the 2012 Games and beyond.

Forty new solar panels at Osprey Leisure Centre in Castletown will be converting sunshine into 10 kilowatts of energy an hour, thanks to British Airways’ first ever One Direction Carbon Fund project.

The project, launched last year to replace the airline’s carbon off-setting programme, lets airline customers donate money to Pure – the Clean Planet Trust, which seeks out community-based projects across the UK.

Ainslie, fresh from victory at a sailing world cup event in Palma, unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion. He said: “Having used the facilities in this area for the last 20 years on and off, on a personal level it’s great to see this work which embraces what the Olympics was sold on – legacy and sustainability to compensate for all the chaos that will happen in three months time.

“This project incorporates all of that. Congratulations to all the people involved in making this happen.”

Leisure centre manager Nigel Williams said this was the start of a big summer for the not-for-profit organisation, which is soon to undergo a £50,000 overhaul with Sport England funding to make it more accessible for disabled people.

He said: “Portland is the first place in the country to benefit from the One Direction Carbon Fund.

“As a community sports centre we are very grateful for the contribution made by British Airways towards the installation of our solar panels. One third of our income from customers is spent on utilities so this will make such a difference. It will cover the cost of our lighting.”

He added: “The French team train here and I told their manager: ‘Bearing in mind we don’t want you to win any gold, good luck for all the silver medals this summer.’ He said they’re aiming for gold in all of the Olympic classes except one and that’s because Ben Ainslie is in it. They’ve written that off already.”

Jonathon Counsell, British Airways head of environment, said the airline was investing in new technology to reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2050, including a ‘low friction coating product’ which he joked Ainslie could borrow this summer for his boat.

He added: “He’s Britain’s greatest sailor of all time and we wish him well for this summer when he competes for a fourth gold medal.”