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Latest news

In the year we celebrated 30 years building and funding clean energy projects, it was special to acquire the rights to our biggest project yet. Construction has started on a 57MW wind farm in the Scottish Borders, which will generate enough power to meet the needs of over 45,000 average UK homes a year once operational.
The project was acquired with the support of our new match funding partner, TopCashback Sustainability Ltd. Fair Play Clean Energy, Thrive’s joint venture with TopCashback Sustainability brings together a combined £80 million in capital to fund new clean energy projects in the UK. An additional £20 million in match funding has also been secured to fund community owned wind and solar via our partnership with social impact investor, Better Society Capital, ensuring ordinary people can own and benefit from their local projects.  The two funding relationships allow Thrive to accelerate the scale of impact deliverable.
Last year we also acquired the rights to the 12.6MW Abergorki wind farm in South Wales which is due to start construction this summer.
With 40MW of new capacity added to our development pipeline in 2024, plus a further 35MW of match funded development capacity, we are well on track to achieve our goal to double generation capacity by 2028.
We recently launched a new share offer to help fund these new projects. More details are available on the <a href="https://www.triodoscrowdfunding.co.uk/invest/thrive-renewables" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Triodos Bank crowdfunding platform</a>.

Supporting communities near our sites remains a crucial part of our social impact work. Through our annual Community Benefit Programme, last year we awarded £33,000 in energy efficiency grants to community centres close to our clean energy projects. The grants have enabled important community hubs to make energy efficiency improvements, such as insulation and draught proofing that help cut carbon and costs.
We were also pleased to celebrate our 30th birthday with many of you at our open day at Caton Moor wind farm in September.
You can read our annual report in full <a href="https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Thrive_Annual-report_2025_Web_Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

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Chris Watt Photography_87

Highlights from our annual results.

Thrive announces £11.3 million operating profit for 2024 – with £20.6 million cash allocated to build new clean energy projects

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The National Grid produces Future Energy Scenarios describing how power will be generated, distributed and consumed in the future. It demonstrates just how much needs to be done to transform our energy system. We are ready to take on this challenge and invest in new wind, solar and hydro projects; with the right policy framework in place, this transformation will happen.
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To-date, the UK has built a fifth of the renewable capacity required to slow climate change. With the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) suggesting we have only 12 years to turn the climate change around, the role for Thrive, its investors and others in building new sustainable energy infrastructure continues to be absolutely crucial.
Our mission is to power the transition to a sustainable energy future by helping people meaningfully connect with clean energy projects. By doing this we can achieve wider energy access and lower costs for everyone over the coming years. With the twin challenges of national planning guidance and an energy system where onshore renewables stand alone in being unsubsidised, the pioneering and values driven investment approach of Thrive and its investors has never been more relevant.
If government, industries and individuals work together towards this common goal, we will succeed in creating a cleaner, fairer and brighter future. We asked some of Thrive’s friends and key industry figures to imagine what this future might look like. Here’s what they said.
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1 &#8211; Cumulative generation since 1998, average UK homes equivalent consumption of 3.781MWh/p.a./UK home (https://www.renewableuk.com/page/UKWEDExplained), average residents per household 2.3 (https://www.ons.gov.uk/ peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/ populationestimates/bulletins/populationandhousehold estimatesfortheunitedkingdom/2011-03-21)

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It’s Good Money Week, organised by the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association, which Thrive is part of. As our investors know, money has the power to create real, positive change in the world.

Working together towards a brighter future

Across the UK, hundreds of thousands of impassioned people joined marches and rallies in more than 200 locations. From big cities like London, Manchester and Newcastle, which drew crowds of up to 100,000 people, to small towns and villages such as Fort William, Rhyl and Laugharne which saw 6 local villagers gather to join the global movement.
Thrive team members joined other Bristol businesses at our local Bristol march which saw a speech by Natalie Bennett of the Green Party, protestors staging a symbolic ‘die in’ and a youth poetry reading. Another member of the team, who took strike action herself from work, attended the rally outside Westminster in London.
<h3>London 20 September 2019</h3>
As people gathered from 11am, quickly filling up the streets and gardens surrounding the Houses of Parliament, the sun shone down illuminating the masses of home-made signs and radiant smiles of young and old alike. Small groups of primary school children brought by teachers stayed on the edges of the rally taking part in games and activities, whilst larger groups of teenagers stood on bins and walls holding their placards and chanting climate demands. Multi-faith groups took part in group prayer and music was playing everywhere.
The event was one of overwhelming unity, hope and a collective demand for action. Many people attending had been watching the first marches spread across Australia and the South Pacific on social media and you could not escape the feeling of connection with so many others, a little bit like when we greet the New Year around the world.
Climate justice was the theme of the day with a range of speakers from across the UK and the world discussing what it means to them and how we achieve it together. Strong key themes that came from many of the speakers was the key role racial justice and migrant justice play in achieving climate justice. Climate change disproportionately affects the global south1<a class="js-scroll-done" href="/latest-news/blog/young-people-and-workers-unite-to-demand-action-on-climate-crisis/#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1"></a> and these communities. The worst effects of climate change will lead to mass migration as vast areas of the globe become uninhabitable2. Some of the most powerful of the speakers were two school children from Malawi. They came to tell 100,000 Londoners what climate change is doing to their country, how droughts, food shortages and extreme weather are affecting their communities. They also came to tell us that we are part of the problem. These two incredibly brave and inspirational young people came to ask for our help, because we have the power and the resources to change.
Other speakers included Owen Jones, The Guardian columnist and author, Caroline Lucas, Leader of the Green Party, and Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party. Both party leaders came to discuss what their plans were for addressing the climate crisis. They both reiterated the necessity of urgent action following major global events such as the fire in the Amazon rainforest and the hurricane which left devastation in the Bahamas. They also, like many of the day’s speakers, drew attention back to those suffering most from the effects of climate change. Caroline Lucas described climate change as “the biggest social justice issue of our time”. However, these were also messages of hope, thanking those who had joined the movement for showing true climate leadership, for keeping this issue at the top of the political agenda and promising that together, as one movement across the world, we will succeed.
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1 &#8211;  UN report &#8211; Climate Change and Social Inequality <a href="https://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2017/wp152_2017.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(https://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2017/wp152_2017.pdf)</a>
2 &#8211;  International Organization for Migration (IOM) – Migration and Climate Change (<a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/apps/njlite/srex/njlite_download.php?id=5866" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-anchor="?id=5866">https://www.ipcc.ch/apps/njlite/srex/njlite_download.php?id=5866</a>)

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Three Thrive team members joined more than 7.6 million people from across the world to support the Global Climate Strike between 20th and 27th September.

Young people and workers unite to demand action on climate crisis

The power of nature

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TIDE &amp; ISE 2018

Today clean, renewable power is providing over a third of the UK’s electricity needs. At Thrive we have been part of this journey for 25 years, working towards a cleaner, smarter energy system. And we’ve come a long way. 

Video: The power of nature

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We are about to hit the milestone of 1.6 Terawatt hours (TWh) of renewable electricity generated over the last 25 years, reducing UK CO2 emissions by over 660,000 tonnes1 and meeting the equivalent annual energy demand of one million UK residents2. 22 renewable energy projects have been built or funded by Thrive over the last quarter of a century, the majority of which we own and operate. £35 million has been raised in equity and £13 million in bonds with over 6,100 investors. Assets under management now total £117 million.
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Earlier this year, we sold two onshore windfarms. From the sale of the projects, we realised the next 10 years of predicted dividends, enabling us to pay a 40p per share interim dividend to shareholders and retain a sizeable pot (approximately £11m) to invest in new renewable projects.
We’re now focusing on three main areas:
<ul>
<li>Private wire renewables – enabling businesses to build on-site wind, solar and storage and benefit from lower power prices.</li>
<li>Community Energy Funding Bridge – providing flexible finance for community groups to enable them to build and take ownership of their own renewable energy projects.</li>
<li>Demonstrating that subsidy-free small to medium scale onshore renewable developments are feasible.</li>
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There is a pipeline of new investment opportunities in place that will be announced in the coming months.
Birthday celebrations commence with our Avonmouth wind farm open day in association with Bristol Open Doors. We’re expecting over 500 people across two days on 13 and 14 September as part of our mission to connect more people to renewable energy. The free event has proved extremely popular and all places were booked within days of becoming available.
[1] https://www.renewableuk.com/page/UKWEDExplained
[2] Cumulative generation since 1998, average UK homes equivalent consumption of 3.781MWh/p.a./UK home (https://www.renewableuk.com/page/UKWEDExplained), average residents per household 2.3
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Thrive Renewables celebrates 25th anniversary.

People power key for sustainable future

We’re delighted to report that 99.3% of respondents are satisfied with Thrive Renewables. Reasons given for this high level of satisfaction include our focus on renewable energy and ethical practice. This reflects one of our core values, Sustainable At Heart; we always use the principles of sustainability to guide our investment and business approach, and have done for 25 years.
At Thrive we are committed to playing an active role in the clean energy movement and driving positive change in the UK, working towards achieving our mission to power the transition to a sustainable energy future. It’s great to see this recognised by our investors, with 84% of respondents describing Thrive as making a genuine difference to the environment.  
Public support for renewable energy and climate action has grown markedly recently, inspired by the School Strike 4 Climate and Extinction Rebellion movements. According to the UK Government’s public opinion tracker, in 2019 84% of the British public support renewable energy sources for electricity and heat production and 79% <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-attitudes-tracking-survey">support onshore wind</a>. Investors who took part in our survey are overwhelmingly in support of renewable energy and climate action, with 92.2% applauding the school children who went on strike to highlight environmental issues.  
In June, the UK Government signed a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 into law, making history in the process. But this gesture must be followed by tangible actions, and respondents agree. 98.9% think the government need to do a lot more to support the renewable energy industry and 99.7% would like to see the UK produce much more renewable energy than it currently does. 
We need policy with clear and stable direction and investment into renewable energy from the government or we will not meet that target. 99.1% of our survey participants believe that as a society, if we don’t make more investments in renewable energy now, future generations will really suffer.

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98.9% think the government needs to improve support for the renewable energy industry.

Thrive investors have their say

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[1] BEIS: Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/digest-of-uk-energy-statistics-dukes)
[2] BEIS Public Attitude Tracker: Energy and Climate Change (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-attitudes-tracking-survey)
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Did you know that renewables were responsible for meeting just 2% of our electricity consumption back in 1994? Check out our birthday timeline of Thrive history since 1994.

Down memory lane

Drumduff wind farm was officially opened by local MSP Alison Johnstone at a community open day in September 2018. The project has the potential to produce enough clean energy for over 5,000 UK homes[1], and in 2018 was awarded the Sustainable Development award at the Scottish Renewables’ Green Energy Awards.
Thrive has also been shortlisted for Community Energy England’s Collaboration award, for the Community Benefit Programme we run with national charity the Centre for Sustainable Energy. The Community Benefit Programme has been running since 2015, offering grants of up to £4,000 for energy efficiency and sustainability improvements for community buildings close to our renewable energy projects. The grants improve warmth and comfort and reduce running costs in eligible buildings, while also reducing CO2 emissions. These buildings play a key role within their communities, providing vital services and communal space for everyone, including the most vulnerable, to come together. To date, the Community Benefit Programme has awarded over £63,000 to 17 community buildings, saving 40 tonnes of CO2 each year.
Finally, Thrive Renewables has been shortlisted for Green Business of the Year at Business Insider Magazine’s prestigious Business Leaders Awards. With ‘Sustainability At Heart’ one of our core values, we are honoured to be recognised as one of the greenest and most sustainable businesses in the South West. The principles of sustainability guide all aspects of Thrive’s business, from the renewable energy projects we build and operate, to the community events we run.
[1] Calculated using the most recent statistics from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) showing that annual UK average domestic household consumption is 3,781kWh, <a href="https://www.renewableuk.com/page/UKWEDExplained">https://www.renewableuk.com/page/UKWEDExplained</a>

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Alongside our valued partners GreenPower International and the Centre for Sustainable Energy, Thrive has been recognised and shortlisted for three industry awards.

Thrive Renewables shortlisted for three prestigious awards

The UK has installed an impressive 44GW of renewable energy capacity in the last few decades, meeting a third of our electricity demand. To meet our net zero carbon emission targets, this rapid growth must continue. Matthew Clayton writes for BusinessGreen on how a few important changes can help lower costs, increase revenue certainty and secure the vital investment needed to transform the UK&#8217;s energy system. Read the full article on the BusinessGreen <a href="https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/opinion/3080625/planning-for-a-successful-subsidy-free-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website.</a>

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Our Managing Director, Matthew Clayton, writes for BusinessGreen.

Planning for a successful, subsidy-free future

The new power purchase agreement (PPA) for the electricity generated by Thrive’s 2.75MW wind turbine at Ness Point, England’s most easterly point, will provide enough energy for 2,225 UK homes. The agreement for the 0.8MW Auchtygills turbine in Aberdeenshire will power an additional 700 homes.
In 1998, Bristol City Council and Thrive separately became renewable energy trailblazers. The council became one of the first local authorities to buy renewable electricity and Thrive invested in its first wind farm – Haverigg.
Twenty years on, Thrive now has a portfolio of 17 renewable energy projects. And, Bristol has set itself the ambitious target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2030, with the council <a href="https://news.bristol.gov.uk/news/council-exceeds-carbon-reduction-target-for-a-second-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently announcing</a> it had cut its own carbon emissions by 71%, two years ahead of schedule. The council has also launched its City Leap project to help significantly reduce carbon emissions and build a resilient city where no one is left behind.
Providing accessible renewable energy is a key objective for Thrive and Bristol Energy. The organisations – which are both headquartered in the city centre, by College Green and Temple Meads respectively – are enabling people to get involved by investing in Thrive’s renewable energy schemes or by signing up Bristol Energy’s 100% green tariff.
The deal was completed on e-POWER, an online auction, which enables independent renewable energy generators to sell clean electricity to utilities.
Ness Point
Ness Point, in Lowestoft is the most easterly point in England and the turbine sits right on the sea wall, making the most of winds whipping in off the North Sea.
Since Thrive invested in the project, the <a href="https://www.orbisenergy.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Orbis Energy Centre</a> has been established next door, which is a flagship focus for the east of England&#8217;s renewables network and home to a range of established and innovative organisations supporting the sector.
Auchtygills wind farm
The Auchtygills turbine is a single, 0.8MW machine built near Strichen in Aberdeenshire. The Auchtygills project makes an annual community benefit payment to the local council. This payment is used by the council to carry out sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental improvements to existing housing stock in the area and to contribute to educational and art projects in the area through the local Mintlaw Academy.

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Thrive Renewables and Bristol Energy have today unveiled an agreement for 3.55MW of renewable electricity, enough to power almost 3,000 homes, from two onshore wind farms in Suffolk and Aberdeenshire.

Thrive and Bristol Energy agree wind power deal for 3,000 homes

A key area highlighted by the CCC for change is within power sector, specifically onshore renewables, such as onshore wind and solar PV. Up until 2015, the UK was a world leader in onshore renewable development, so when the government removed support and changed planning regulations in 2015, it was a significant setback to the industry. According to the report, there is currently no route to market for onshore wind and solar, the lowest-cost forms of renewable generation. This severely limits the potential speed of decarbonisation in the UK and adds to costs.
The report identifies where policy has been successful in catalysing change. Offshore wind is now able to provide power at comparable prices to fossil fuels. This has been achieved by creating a marketplace with long-term contracts and the necessary funding via a ‘Contracts for Difference’ (CfD) scheme.
Renewable energy continues to fall in price and is now the cheapest source of new electricity generation in most parts of the world1. Since 2017 the global average levelised cost of solar PV and onshore wind has fallen by 13%2. By 2020 these two sources are expected to be less expensive than the cheapest fossil fuel alternative in a wide range of geographies2. The CCC progress report underlines that there is absolutely massive potential for onshore renewables in the UK, and with the right policies in place we could start building immediately.
The government doesn’t need to change much to ensure that we can start building renewables at capacity again. A few small planning system amendments could boost investor confidence and support wide-spread and successful subsidy-free onshore renewable generation. Renewable energy projects are almost unique in receiving planning permission for just 20 &#8211; 25 years, which reflected the length of time they received financial support. But now that support has been removed, the government needs to recognise the crucial role of onshore renewables in decarbonising the UK’s energy infrastructure. The time span of planning permissions needs to be changed to in perpetuity to bring renewables into line with other infrastructure projects. This will increase investor confidence and ultimately lead to lower electricity bills for the consumer. Additionally, removing the risk of the existing UK portfolio of renewables from shrinking is key.  Planning guidance should encourage the continued use of existing renewable energy sites, rather than the benchmarking continued operations against a green field.

1 IRENA (2019) Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2018; Bloomberg New Energy Finance (2019) New Energy Outlook 2019. These costs use a generation cost basis, which does not include the systems costs of variable renewables.
2 International Renewable Energy Agency (2019) Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2018

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“The need for action has rarely been clearer. Our message to government is simple: Now, do it.” Committee on Climate Change.

Reaching net zero - We need policy with clear and stable direction

The UK committed to ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2050 recently, a very positive move. Matthew Clayton argues that onshore renewables have the potential to play a very significant part in this vital transformation. Read the full article on The Ecologist <a href="https://theecologist.org/2019/jun/18/matching-ambition-action">website</a>.

Our Managing Director, Matthew Clayton, writes for The Ecologist website.

Matching ambition with action

The UK has just committed to reducing carbon emissions to almost zero by 2050. It is communities like this one at Caton Moor who will help us to get there.

Celebrating wind power 

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Wind energy has the power to help deliver net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and deliver economic growth. This film celebrates the difference wind power has made in a rural community.

Video: Celebrating wind power at Caton Moor

Now in its seventh year, the 2023 programme awarded a record £37,692 to ten community groups. The estimated carbon savings from this round alone amount to 7.5 tonnes CO2 equivalent every year. We also provided free online training on the topics of energy advice, community approaches to tackling fuel poverty, and community building energy efficiency. 50% of the people who came to these training sessions had not previously engaged with the programme but were eager to do so afterwards, with two-thirds saying they had been inspired to conduct a survey of their building. Plus, everyone who attended expressed motivation to support their communities in tackling fuel poverty, with all groups also keen to initiate their energy projects.  
Hear from some of the grantees in <a href="https://www.cse.org.uk/news/community-buildings-are-thrive-ing-across-the-uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CSE’s article</a>.

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It’s been a record year for our Community Benefit Programme– over £37,000 awarded in energy efficiency grants.

Community buildings thriving across the UK

Figures by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and analysed by think tank New Economics Foundation, revealed that only seven applications were submitted last year – but all of those <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/15/zero-plans-for-public-onshore-windfarms-submitted-last-year-in-england" target="_blank" rel="noopener">related to the replacement of existing turbines or were for private sites, where the energy produced is destined for a particular consumer, such as a business</a>. 
The number was lower than the 10 applications submitted in 2022, when the de facto ban was still in place, despite the adjustments made to the National Planning Policy Framework in September 2023 which the government claimed would “make it easier and quicker for onshore wind projects to come forward, where there is local support”.  
<h3>Is it only England that&#8217;s falling behind? </h3>
In contrast to the lack of new applications in England, <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1861845/no-new-plans-onshore-wind-england-despite-relaxed-rules%22%20/l%20%22:~:text=There%20were%20no%20new%20planning,onshore%20wind%2C%20new%20data%20shows." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scotland saw 46 applications made for grid- connected onshore wind farms last year</a> and has openly embraced the technology as part of its future energy mix. Through the <a href="https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/scotland-signs-deal-with-sector-to-ensure-it-can-reach-20gw-of-onshore-wind-by-2030-25-09-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal</a>, which was signed by the government and major industry players in September 2023, it has <a href="https://www.renewableuk.com/news/652133/Scottish-Onshore-Wind-Sector-Deal-can-provide-blueprint-for-all-of-UK.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outlined a number of measures</a> to help ensure Scotland delivers on its promises of 20GW of onshore wind by 2030 &#8211; more than double its current operational capacity of 9.38GW.  
This includes: 
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">a commitment that it will take no longer than a year for Scottish onshore wind farms to go through the planning system, </li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">engagement with local communities at the earliest opportunity to agree a package of community benefits, and </li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">greater recycling of turbine components to make the supply chain even more sustainable.  </li>
</ul>
And if Scotland can do it, why can’t the rest of the UK follow suit? Especially when we know that people are not only in favour of onshore wind, but that the technology is instrumental in delivering cheaper, cleaner power to households still feeling the effects of the recent energy and cost of living crises. In fact, <a href="https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4112821/staggering-englands-onshore-wind-ban-costing-british-billpayers-gbp-1bn-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research by Carbon Brief</a> found that the de facto ban in England had cost billpayers a &#8220;staggering&#8221; £5.1 billion in 2022.  
“Onshore wind remains the cheapest source of clean energy in the UK and has already contributed to billions in savings for UK households. But England continues to miss out on tapping this valuable resource, while Scotland and the rest of Europe add large amounts of wind capacity every year.” –  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/15/zero-plans-for-public-onshore-windfarms-submitted-last-year-in-england" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chaitanya Kumar, head of environment and green transition, New Economics Foundation thinktank</a> 
While the government’s micro-adjustments in policy have evidently had little effect, we were still waiting for the results of the government’s consultation into community benefit, launched in May 2023 as part of what was – at the time – dubbed “green day”. Now published, it sought “views on improvements that could be made to the existing system of community engagement and community benefits for onshore wind in England”, with 76 responses from a variety of stakeholders, including Thrive.  
<h3>What are the results of the government&#8217;s consultation? </h3>
Following the consultation, the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/developing-local-partnerships-for-onshore-wind-in-england" target="_blank" rel="noopener">government has confirmed that it intends to</a>:  
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Formally embed best practice principles of community engagement into official planning guidance. </li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">Work with the onshore wind industry and other stakeholders to update the Community Benefits Protocol for Onshore Wind in England. </li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1">Take ownership of the Community Benefits Protocol and publish it as official guidance on GOV.UK, providing the whole of the onshore wind industry with clear expectations on community benefits and giving greater certainty to communities. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Provide supporting information and case studies on community benefits to help upskill local communities and streamline the community benefits process, including setting out the instances in which developers could provide additional support to communities. </li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Develop a mechanism for the onshore wind industry to formally sign-up and endorse the updated Protocol, which will provide greater trust and transparency for communities. </li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Consider establishing a public community benefits register that can capture details of community benefit packages, to allow communities to compare offers and drive best practice. </li>
</ul>
We absolutely agree that onshore wind projects should benefit local communities and will continue to work with community energy groups looking to make their projects a reality. However, the government needs to understand that communities will not get to reap any benefits at all if projects never make it into existence. The fact that there were no planning applications in 2023 is proof that developers are still struggling to justify the high cost of navigating the planning process, without clarity on the likelihood of success. We believe that significant reform is still needed if we are to harness wind power to its full potential. 
What we have, and will continue calling for, is for onshore wind to be treated in the same way as other infrastructure projects, as well as the removal of footnote 54 (which sets out the conditions that have to be met for development to be considered &#8216;acceptable) from the National Planning Policy Framework.

While onshore wind delivered almost a third of the UK’s electricity supply last year, England is still failing to harness its true power – despite government ‘reform’.

Proof is in the pudding? Zero planning applications for public onshore wind farms in England last year

Beochlich consists of two Pelton 21X2.45 turbines, fed via a pipeline which creates the pressure to drive the turbines most efficiently. A storage reservoir is incorporated which allows the flow to be regulated to an optimum level when rainfall is high as well as store water during periods of lower rainfall. Water diverted from the Beochlich Burn is returned to the same water course downstream. 
The project generates roughly 4.5GWh of renewable electricity a year – enough to power 1,126 UK homes. As well as being a key renewable energy source, the hydro project helps to regulate the water flow at Beochlich which is positive for plant health and irrigation purposes.

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