M-Sport has been given planning permission to place over 800 solar panels on the roof of the workshop at Dovenby Hall in Cockermouth and calculates that the panels will cut 10 per cent from its annual energy bills.

Photo: D.Darrall

Talking to the News & Star, Ford and M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson said: “M-Sport has been working on a series of initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint for some time. Following consultation we settled on a package that will not only help us to become more efficient within our day-to-day business right away, but will continue to meet our energy needs in an environmentally friendly way in line with our future plans to grow the company.

“The project is a landmark one for our region, and we are also delighted to be able to push forward in pioneering clean, green energy within our sector.

“It has been an exciting project for us and very much in keeping with our goal of using the very latest technology to drive success both within motorsport and in other areas of our business.”

The move will help towards the Government’s target of having 15 per cent of Britain’s energy created from renewable sources by 2020. It will also cut M-Sport’s CO2 emissions by 80,000kg a year and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. The work will take about four weeks to install and commission and the plant is expected to be up and running by August.

Source: News&Star