News
Thrive in top 3% of UK B Corps following recertification
Twenty point increase in impact score.
Posted: 18 Apr 2024
About us
We are a renewable energy company and have been working to reduce emissions and tackle the climate emergency since 1994.
Thrive Renewables connects people to sustainable energy. We offer accessible opportunities for individuals and businesses to have a meaningful stake in clean energy projects. Thanks to our thousands of investors – large and small – we’ve been building and operating renewable energy projects in the UK for close to 30 years.
Our vision: We believe in a clean, smart energy system that is powered by the investment of many.
Our mission: Our mission is to power the transition to a sustainable energy future by helping people meaningfully connect with clean energy projects.
To help us achieve this, we align our business activity to three core principles.
SUSTAINABLE AT HEART
The principles of sustainability have guided us for nearly three decades, from the projects we invest in to how we run our business. We only ever invest in sustainable projects, in a sustainable way. This allows us to generate clean energy that not only meets the needs of today’s world but builds a brighter future for the generations to come.
REWARDING CONNECTION
We make decisions based on the interests of our shareholders. That means we invest in real sustainable energy projects that deliver real environmental impacts. We always communicate these impacts clearly and transparently.
MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE
We play an active and committed role in the clean energy movement: a growing community of people and businesses who are committed to making change happen. We share our knowledge and insight to catalyse change, and we’re passionate and excited about what is possible.
The company was first established by Triodos Bank as ‘The Wind Fund plc’ in 1994. This was a response to the Chernobyl disaster and recognition of widening public interest in renewable energy. The fund aimed to enable ordinary people to invest directly into the development of renewable energy projects in the UK. In 2004, we became ‘Triodos Renewable Energy Fund’, which changed to ‘Triodos Renewables plc’ in 2009. In 2016, we became independent of Triodos Bank, and rebranded the company as Thrive Renewables.
Over the past 29 years, our investor community has grown to over 7,000 individuals, organisations, and institutions. Thanks to them, we have grown our impact by building or funding the construction of 39 renewable energy projects, the majority of which we still own and operate. In addition to wind and hydro, Thrive has invested in solar PV, battery storage, geothermal, ground source heat and the early commercial scale tidal generation capacity. To date we have generated over 2.1 milllion MWh of clean electricity and avoided the emission of 970,728 tonnes of CO2e
Our inclusive approach allows us to offer a variety of flexible investment options to renewable energy projects seeking capital. Our commitment to true sustainability offers a degree of resilience to changes in government legislation.
Relationship with Triodos Bank
When Triodos Bank set up a branch in the UK they recognised the relative youth of the UK's renewable energy market compared to continental Europe. To stimulate and drive development of new renewable energy projects, in 1994 Triodos Bank group also set up a new equity based company.
That organisation became what Thrive Renewables is today. While Thrive Renewables is now managed independently, our years of partnership inform our shared values and ethos, and we maintain a positive relationship.
Triodos Bank remains committed to renewable energy and Thrive Renewables maintains a positive banking and commercial arrangement with them. Naturally, the values and ethos with which we were founded continue to underpin our working practices and business decisions.
