Sailors at the 2012 London Olympics will be keeping their fingers crossed that they don’t get a summer of English Channel gales. But if the racing’s cancelled for a day or two at least the team will have the satisfaction of knowing the training videos they will watch instead will be partly powered by the tempest which has grounded them.

For a ‘loopwing wind turbine’ is being installed at Weymouth & Portland National sailing Academy (WPNSA)with the help of their sponsor Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE).  The energy company earlier won, in association with the Academy, the prestigious 2008 Sport Industry Award for Environmental Concern in Sport.

The loopwing wind turbine is a revolutionary new type of turbine which, due to its innovative design, runs silently.  The plan is to install a two kilowatt turbine, in the position shown on the image.