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kessingland

Latest news

As a result, the company has recommended a final dividend of 12p per share for 2025. If approved at the AGM in June, it will be paid to shareholders in July 2026*.
Building blocks to continue growing our impact
One of the big highlights of the year was the addition of a 10MW ground mount solar farm in Essex, which we acquired through the Fair Play Clean Energy joint venture with TopCashback Group Ltd, supporting our diversification strategy as we look to derive value from across the technology mix.
We also celebrated the first investment by Community Energy Catalyst, our joint venture with Better Society Capital, with the community-owned turbine in Kilbirnie now generating clean power and unlocking a revenue stream to fund other local initiatives. This includes a new Employment Hub, offering employment and training opportunities for local people, sustainable transport opportunities and help to address health and educational inequalities locally, as well as upgrading local sports and recreational facilities.
Also in Scotland, we made significant progress on our largest project to date, a 57MW onshore wind farm, with the foundations for the 14 turbines now poured, and construction about to get underway. A further 25.1MW of wind is currently in development.
It was great to see these achievements recognised on a global stage too, with Thrive taking home the gold for Responsible Investor of the Year at Reuters Global Sustainability Awards in October.

As well as building and acquiring new projects, we are actively pursuing life extension and repowering opportunities across our older sites. In 2025, we announced our joint venture Burgar Hill Renewables (representing the local landowner), with plans to breathe fresh life into the Burgar Hill site – a pioneering testbed for onshore wind in the UK. Subject to obtaining necessary planning consents, the repowering project is expected to have an installed generation capacity of up to 30MW which would deliver an estimated £150,000 in annual community benefits each year.
In February we took a key next step in the proposed repowering project, with Burgar Hill Energy (the joint venture between Thrive and Burgar Hill Renewables) acquiring two Nordex N80 wind turbines that were previously owned by RWE.
Supporting local communities
As part of our mission to connect as many communities as possible with renewables, we are now pledging to provide an opportunity for the local community to purchase a share of every new project we acquire.
Through our Community Benefit Programme, we awarded £33,000 to eight community hubs across the UK – helping them to make important energy efficiency improvements such as lighting and heating upgrades, insulation, double glazing and more. Stuartfield Village Hall, based near our Clayfords wind turbine in Aberdeenshire, were one of the grantees from 2025. To help manage their energy costs, they used their £4,300 grant to overhaul their lighting system.
You can read our annual report in full <a href="https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Thrive_Annual-report-2025_Web-Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
*  Please remember that past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future returns.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
[1] Impact Portfolio describing Thrive’s share of projects owned plus 
the projects Thrive is funding (adjusted proportionally where Thrive’s 
funding is a minority of a project’s overall funding).
[2] Homes equivalent is calculated using the most recent statistics 
from DESNZ showing that annual GB average domestic 
household consumption is 3,323kWh (as of December 2025, 
updated annually). <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6945728a033693d5d50eb83d/subnational-electricity-and-gas-consumption-summary-report-2024.pdf">Subnational Electricity and Gas Consumption Statistics, 2024</a>.
Average residents per household 2.35 (<a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2024">Families and households in the UK &#8211; Office for National Statistics</a>), Population of Southport is 
93,902 (<a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/understandingtownsinenglandandwalespopulationanddemography">Understanding towns in England and Wales: population and demography &#8211; Office for National Statistics</a>).
[3] Carbon reduction is calculated by multiplying the total amount of 
renewable electricity generated by Thrive’s impact portfolio each year by 
the number of tonnes of carbon which fossil fuels would have produced 
to generate the same amount of electricity. We have used DESNZ’s “all 
non-renewable fuels” emissions statistic of 448 tonnes of carbon dioxide 
per GWh of electricity supplied from the Digest of UK Energy Statistics 
(July 2025) Table 5.14 (“Estimated carbon dioxide emissions from 
electricity supplied”). Additionally, we include a conservative 
estimate of the carbon saved through operating our BESS projects.
[4] This includes £5.1m set-off against financial assets repaid.

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Beavers-47

As profit levels returned to pre-energy crisis levels in line with forecasts, we have already acquired the projects we need to meet our 2028 growth target. 

Annual results 2025: Acquisition of new projects and progression with development and construction of two onshore wind farms helping to lock in impact for next 30 years

Featured

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There had previously been a barn owl box on the site, installed on Wessex Water’s pumping station by the Hawk and Owl Trust many years ago. The pumping station is situated right next to one of the wind turbines so, before building work began this box, plus others at the site, were moved to a new location about 400 metres from the wind turbine.
Barn owls were known to use the existing box for breeding prior to the construction of the turbines but have not been recorded breeding on site since the boxes were relocated and the turbines built. The Landmark Practice, who monitor the ecology of the site on behalf of Thrive Renewables, were therefore pleased to find two owlets last month, which are thought to have hatched around the beginning of June. The owlets, which are now seven to eight weeks old, will be competent fliers at around ten weeks old, but will remain close to the nest box until they disperse at around 13 weeks old.
The planning process for the turbines was heavily influenced by wildlife at and around the site. The scheme therefore included measures designed to ensure that there was minimal impact was caused by the addition of the wind farm. This latest development shows that the measures taken have sustained the existing wildlife interest at the site, providing the sensitive conditions needed by barn owls to breed.
Despite the urban setting, the Avonmouth site is a stronghold for wildlife, with rough, grassland areas which are perfect for owls and their prey, including small rodents like voles. While barn owls are traditionally associated with farmland, they are equally suited to brownfield sites as long as they have access to good quality foraging and resting habitat.
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Caton Moor owls

Barn Owls have nested this summer in an owl box situated at our industrial site at Avonmouth. 

We have barn owl chicks at Avonmouth

With a strong 20 year history behind us and having built a trusted and established portfolio of projects driven by sustainability, the fundamentals remain, and are now more important than ever.
The outlook for Thrive Renewables remains positive. Our rationale for this:
<ul>
<li>As one of the leading proponents of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), the UK has set national greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in law.</li>
<li>The weak pound will increase the cost of imported energy prices making renewables more competitive and home grown energy all the more valuable. This moves us closer to a level playing field for renewables making the security of supply a stronger case for the future.</li>
<li>The majority of our debt has fixed interest rates, thereby mitigating exposure to any increased volatility in interest rates.</li>
</ul>
2015 was a record-breaking year of renewable generation for Thrive Renewables with strong growth in our community of shareholders (up 16% in the year to 5,700). Revenue is up 22% to £15m achieving pre-tax profit of £2.3m. In addition, we have just completed our very successful 5.5% bond offer which completed in just under four weeks, connecting more people with renewable energy and releasing capital for growth.
Whilst there is uncertainty in the market, Thrive Renewables shall continue to generate sustainable electricity 365 days a year, rain and shine.

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IMG_0304

The wind still blows and the rain continues to fall…

Brexit will not change the weather

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With the addition of three new wind projects, combined with good wind resources in 2015, this allowed Thrive Renewables’ to generate a total of 169,485MWh of renewable energy,  26% more than the 134,480MWh generated in 2014.
The 2015 generation is equivalent to satisfying the electricity demand of 41,187  UK homes (32,080: 2014).
<h2>2015 highlights</h2>
<ul>
<li>169, 485MWh &#8211; the amount of green energy we generated</li>
<li>41,187 &#8211;  number of equivalent UK homes powered from our wind farms</li>
<li>3 &#8211; new projects built (two in Aberdeenshire (100% ownership) and Boardinghouse (75% ownership)</li>
<li>£14,000 – donations for energy improvements in community buildings and community funding at Wern Ddu site supporting local initiatives</li>
<li>12.83 tonnes CO2 – saved per year by an average shareholder (based on 3,800 shares)</li>
<li>15% &#8211; growth in our shareholder base</li>
<li>7 &#8211; homes powered with renewable electricity by every shareholder</li>
</ul>
<h2>Operational highlights</h2>
<ul>
<li>The company’s operational generating capacity grew by 17%, from 54.8MW in 2014 to 64.1MW in 2015.</li>
<li>The energisation of Boardinghouse, Auchtygills and Clayfords added 11.85MW (9.3MW when adjusted for Thrive’s ownership) to the portfolio.</li>
<li>Additionally, in November 2015 the Thrive Renewables provided a £2.7m mezzanine debt facility to Renewable Energy Ventures (Gevens) Limited. The £2.7m facility bridges a funding gap, allowing the developer to continue to own and realise the three turbine 6.9MW wind project located in Fife, Scotland. The project’s construction is on schedule and due to commence operations in autumn 2016.</li>
</ul>
</div>
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img_2820 (1)

It’s been a record-breaking year of renewable generation with strong growth in our community of shareholders (up 16% in the year to 5,700).

Results for year end 2015

<div class="cms rte js-cms-done">
<h3>How long have you been with Thrive Renewables and what is your role on the board?</h3>
I’ve been a Non-Executive Director for three years now. My responsibility, along with the other non-executive directors, is to work closely with the executive team providing objective advice and opinion when required. With a background in Socially Responsible Investment (SRI), together with strategic marketing advice, I bring my experience of marketing and communicating environmental and social impact to the Board, and view Thrive’s development and growth through this lens.
<h3>What is your day job and how do you implement the skills from this into your role with Thrive?</h3>
I am currently Director of Responsible Investment and Stewardship at CCLA, the largest UK fund manager for SRI. I analyse companies’ environmental and social performance and integrate that into investment analysis – at the moment, for example, I am leading on public health issues.
</div>
<div class="cms rte js-cms-done">
There are many aspects of my background that I bring to the table at Thrive, including my six years in strategic marketing which is necessary for a company as big as Thrive. With a huge base of shareholders, our marketing is more significant than for other renewable energy investments.
<div class="blockQuote">
Sixteen years ago I persuaded Cazenove Capital to develop an SRI offering and embedded it across the entire investment process. This experience allows me to pick up on what parts of the business are most relevant to ethical and socially responsible investors, and how to utilise that.
</div>
I’ve also got board experience as a trustee of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and seven years as a board member of UK Sustainable Investment and Finance (UKSIF) – initiating the launch of member services to support the smaller ethical investment houses – so I’ve got lots to draw on in order to help Thrive grow and develop.
<h3>What&#8217;s your favourite aspect of your role and why?</h3>
I greatly enjoy supporting the team and the excellent work they do. In particular, always putting the shareholders first – which is absolutely key to Thrive, and working on improving interaction with our shareholders. As a Non-Executive Director we can often offer new perspectives to the Executive team, so I like to be able to help in that way too.
</div>
<div class="cms rte js-cms-done">
<h3>Why did you choose to join Thrive&#8217;s board?</h3>
I had been aware of Triodos Renewables (as Thrive Renewables was) since 2001 – and greatly admired its ambition and the drive of the team behind it. I was particularly drawn to its breadth of appeal and inclusiveness, encouraging anyone to take a stake in renewable energy generation in the UK.  Triodos has established a brand with a great reputation for ethics and Thrive continues to embody them now. It&#8217;s both an exciting and fulfilling time to be a board member of Thrive today.
<h3>What do you think makes Thrive unique?</h3>
The shareholder base. We have almost 6,000 individual shareholders who are passionate about taking a stake in the generation of renewable energy – which makes us unlike anyone else. They are very engaged which means they’re a committed and supportive group of shareholders. They are also concerned about the sustainability of the planet and the need to support the energy business in moving to a more sustainable situation, which is a powerful and important foundation of Thrive Renewables.
</div>

thrive-renewables-head-shots-16

Thrive Renewables. Head shots-16

What's it like to be a member of the Thrive Renewables board? In this article we ask Katie Gordon, Non-Executive Director.

Team profile: Katie Gordon, Non-Executive Director

With a range of shares available to purchase, investors were free to bid on as many or few shares as they liked. Bidding closed at 4.30pm and in total 51,842 shares were traded, all at £2.25 per share. This is within 1% of the Directors’ recommended share price and all sellers offering shares at £2.25 or below were cleared.

Building on the success of its inaugural share auction, Thrive Renewables’ latest trading day saw almost 52,000 shares changing hands at a price of £2.25 each.

Share auction continues to Thrive

This is the first share auction of its kind for Triodos Renewables, and the company hopes to conduct monthly auctions to enable shareholders to manage their stake in the business at regular intervals.
The auction received considerable interest, and after bidding closed at 16.30pm, 58,525 shares were traded this month at an average price of 198.55p per share. All sellers who offered their shares at 185p or lower sold their shares in full, and sellers who offered their shares at 190p sold part of their holding. Likewise anyone who bid 190p or higher for shares was also successful with their bids. Shares that went unsold on this occasion will now roll forward to the March auction, and will be offered on the same basis.

This was the first share auction of its kind for Triodos Renewables.

First share auction success

Over the last two decades Triodos Renewables has grown significantly as a renewable energy company, with 5,700 shareholders and a portfolio of 15 operational renewable projects. With a strong record of generating clean electricity and profits, Triodos Renewables is now at a size where it is able to successfully stand as a fully independent company: Thrive Renewables . This change to Thrive Renewables was a joint decision with Triodos Bank which will enable both companies to flourish independently.

tide-ise-2018

TIDE &amp; ISE 2018

Triodos Renewables will now be known as Thrive Renewables and will begin to trade as such from 1 March 2016. The name change comes as part of the company’s transition to independence from Triodos Bank.

Triodos Renewables changes to Thrive Renewables

The Directors undertake to revisit the Recommended Share Price when events occur which have a material impact on the value of the Company (<a title="Recommended Share Price" href="/for-investors/shareholders/directors-valuation/" data-id="1241">click here for more details of the Directors&#8217; Recommended Share Price</a>). The new price has been calculated using methodology consistent with previous valuations. Drivers behind the increase include rolling the Triodos Renewables financial model forwards capturing the financial position at the end of the 2015, and the inclusion of an investment in an addition 6.9MW onshore wind farm made in December. Updating the long-term wholesale energy price projections had the opposite effect.

Triodos Renewables' Board of Directors has recently agreed a revision of the Directors' Recommended Share price.

Triodos Renewables announce share price increase

But rain dampening Christmas spirits was really the least of our woes as 2015 came to a close. Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank left many in the North of the UK with terrible flooding, often hitting the same homes more than once and exposing this country’s seriously lacking environmental provisions. It was the wettest <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/uk-weather-why-the-recent-devastating-floods-will-become-the-new-normal-a6793291.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">December since records began</a> for Scotland and Wales, the fourth-wettest for Northern Ireland and the second-wettest overall for the UK – but why?
It’s a sad fact that the phrase ‘since records began’ has become a regular feature in our weather reporting. The Met Office have predicted that <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/17/2016-set-to-be-hottest-year-on-record-globally" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2016 will be the hottest on record</a>, which will mean the three hottest years on record have happened in a row. Rainfall in December will make <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35204014" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2015 one of the top 10 wettest years since 1910</a>. And in the US, <a href="https://weather.com/news/weather/news/weird-facts-december-2015-warmth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 6,000 warm-temperature records</a> were set this December.  The link to El Nino is often cited, but the meteorological community confirms that 2015’s extreme weather was partially due to El Ninio, but <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35354579" target="_blank" rel="noopener">primarily driven by climate change</a>.
This extreme weather means more than just the tragic droughts and floodings. The Met Offices’ prediction indicates the global average temperature in 2016 will be 1.14°C above pre-industrial temperatures, making the 1.5°C goal set at COP21 a huge challenge.
It’s clear that temperatures are rising and more extreme weather is likely to be on the cards for years to come. We take some comfort from <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35213884" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Cameron’s  pledge of £40m</a> to enhance  flood defences – but we all need to work together to address the cause, as well as mitigating the immediate symptoms. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/407432/20150203_2013_Final_Emissions_statistics.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Energy contributes to 30% of UK emissions</a> by generating more power renewably and consuming energy more consciously reductions are being achieved. Accelerating progress here is a more sustainable way of addressing the long term problem than building ever higher concrete barriers. If we really want to keep to the pledges of COP21, investment in a more sustainable energy system is a clear path to a concerted effort from this country to help put the brakes on climate change.
More extreme weather is something that we are going to have to approach in a multi-faceted way. While weather damage prevention is important, reducing green house gas emissions is key to addressing climate change.
We can all play our part and contribute to cleaning up the energy system and consuming energy more consciously. Triodos Renewables is delivering a growing volume of renewable energy, and we’re also identifying ways to contribute to the wider energy system through energy efficiency, demand side management and storage; all of which are jigsaw pieces in a more sustainable system.
With the last of the storms hopefully behind us for now, we need to continue to deliver the solutions, not wait for the next disaster to hit.

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caton winter 2

We must focus on delivering the solutions to climate change. 

Can we afford to smash any more weather records?

Early in 2015 we also welcomed 800 more shareholders bringing our community to over 5700, the £4.1m raised from both existing and new shareholders allowed us to complete the three construction projects and invest in another 6.9MW wind farm where construction is now underway.
<h3>Triodos Renewables keeps on growing</h3>
2015 was a great year for the expansion of our portfolio. We completed the construction of three new onshore wind projects, two based in Scotland  and the third located in East Anglia, where Triodos Renewables owns 75% of this 10 MW project. Us taking a part stake in this project filled a funding gap and allowed the landlord and developers to finish the project ahead of time.
The operational portfolio generated 18% more green electricity than ever before, generating enough to power the equivalent of more that 39,500 UK homes.
We also increased our presence at a number of sustainable energy events to broaden our network into new markets and technologies, as a response to recent political impact on wind and solar project pipeline and our interest in diversification.
<h3>A successful year for shareholders</h3>
This time last year, our eighth share issue was closed on 30 January 2015, with a private placement for a large shareholder completed in April 2015. We raised £4.1million which has been used to fund the year’s growth in projects. With a further 800 shareholders supporting the company, it feels like a year where both the importance and contribution of renewable energy is part of the nations growing consciousness.
We celebrated in style at our <a title="Twenty years of contributing to a cleaner planet" href="/latest-news/events/twenty-years-of-contributing-to-a-cleaner-planet/" data-id="1549">birthday themed AGM</a> on 19th June, which marked our 20th anniversary. Two decades is a long time in the UK renewables industry. We’ve seen a lot of change and huge achievements, with renewable technologies now no longer ‘alternative energy’ and generating more power than nuclear. It was great to share this achievement with our shareholders, some of whom have been with us from day one.
<h3>Triodos Renewables in the community</h3>
We supported a wide range of community engagement initiatives during 2015, both through established local benefit schemes and wider initiatives. Just a few of our achievements included more sustainable street lighting at Eye and LED Christmas lights at Doddington, near our <a title="Boardinghouse wind farm" href="/our-projects/boardinghouse-wind-farm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-id="1473">Boardinghouse wind farm</a> in Cambridgeshire. We also contributed to Ambition Lawrence Weston, a community driven social regeneration project near our Avonmouth wind farm.
Our second family open day at Avonmouth was a success in the summer, raising awareness of renewable energy and aiming to dispel common myths about wind power. We plan to roll out open days to other parts of the country to reach a wider audience and further engage with the communities around our projects.
For the inaugural open day in 2014 we commissioned the ExplorerDome renewable energy show. In 2015, we both used the show at the open day and took it into schools. Plus, our Avonmouth site was chosen for the filming of a <a title="Take a virtual field trip to our wind farm" href="/latest-news/news/take-a-virtual-field-trip-to-our-wind-farm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-id="1511">virtual field trip</a> as a resource for teachers all over the UK to supporting education and curriculum learning.
<h3>The launch of the community benefit fund</h3>
Extending this good work is our new <a title="Community benefit fund" href="/our-impact/community-benefit-programme/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-id="1201">Community Benefit Fund</a>, which opened on 30 November 2015 to enhance specific local work already being done. It has nationwide coverage with initial focus close to our project sites, and involves a process in which communities can get free advice and apply for funding for sustainability measures.  The grants will make community buildings more sustainable and accessible to groups and individuals who rely on them.
The fund is being administered by the national charity, Centre for Sustainable Energy.  Although it has only been open for a couple of months, we have already had a lot of initial interest from communities up and down the UK, and we hope to do lots of good through this scheme in 2016.

20160119_075757

While 2016 looks set to be an exciting and busy year for Triodos Renewables, we’d like to reflect on the year that has passed before we get too immersed in the future. 

2015 in brief: Triodos Renewables generated more energy than ever before

Triodos Renewables picked up the project in April 2014 via a long term relationship with an experienced developer. Alongside Dunfermline and Eye, it is our third merchant project – where power is provided directly to an industrial business.
The Acciona AW77-1500 turbine began generating at the very end of November 2014, with its first full month being December 2014. With a site capacity of 1.5MW and good forecast average wind speed, the annual forecast output was 4.5GWh when the turbine was erected, which is enough to power 1,093 UK homes.
A year on, the annual generation was even better than forecast at 4.75GWh, which is enough to power 1,150 UK homes. In fact, power from the turbine has been used to power the Greenvale site itself, so more of the potatoes that end up on supermarket shelves have been processed and packed using renewable energy.
This approach allows a merchant site to manage their energy costs, as well as demonstrate their sustainability credentials against increasingly strict and competitive supply chain criteria, maintaining job security for local people.

Generating clean electricity for Greenvale potato factory

On-site renewables

march-2

march 2

December 2015 marked the first anniversary of one of our projects – our Floods Ferry Road site, better known as Greenvale wind farm.

Floods Ferry Road wind farm - One year on

<h3>What&#8217;s your role at Triodos Renewables?</h3>
I’ve worked at Triodos Renewables since 2012 as Operations Manager. My core role is to make sure our projects are running safely and profitably by generating as much renewable electricity as possible, to hopefully pay dividends for our shareholders (of which I’m one).
I’m based in Bristol but relish site trips to the far reaches of the country, catching up with local representatives and seeing our work in action. It’s important for me to understand the local lie of the land (proverbial and physical) and our sites are in pretty amazing places to visit. I’m never envious of friends making work trips to familiar-looking meeting rooms in busy city centres! Plus, it’s always fun finding small, independent hotels or B&amp;Bs near our sites who benefit from overnight trips of wind farm technicians and visitors.
<h3>What&#8217;s a day in the life of a Operations Manager like?</h3>
The day-to-day elements of my role are making sure the electrical / mechanical servicing and safety inspections are all up to date and responding quickly to any unexpected situations which come up.  If it’s too windy then some of our planned work may need to be rescheduled so I look at weather forecasts from two angles now – if it’s warm and sunny then my cycle into the office will be more satisfying; but if it’s wet and windy then I’m glad to know our turbines will all be pumping out the power.
There’s a lot of variety in my role – which is important to me. I’ve had a real thrill from organising open days and greeting a really diverse range of visitors – school groups, families and neighbours; planning officials and engineers; shareholders, renewable energy-sceptics and even protestors (though they weren’t protesting about our wind farm!) People will step out of their car having driven from home and have to steady themselves or catch their breath in a huge gust of wind. It makes them realise the power there, waiting to be harnessed in the exposed, bracing sites we’ve chosen.
<h3>What do you love about Triodos Renewables?</h3>
I love the fact that we’re a small and dynamic team, with high aspirations but already delivering significant impact. The fact that sustainability underpins everything we do and that our values genuinely guide business decisions make Triodos Renewables, for me, an honestly great place to work.
<h3>What are the most rewarding aspects of your job?</h3>
One of my proudest moments was filming a ‘virtual wind farm field trip’ with a class of buzzing local school children during Bristol’s year as European Green Capital in 2015.  As a school governor myself, I know it’s incredibly powerful to support classroom learning with experiences away from the school environment. I’m thrilled with the film we made, which is now available to schools as a <a href="https://www.sustainablelearning.com/resource/best-bristol-virtual-fieldtrip-wind-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">teaching resource nationwide</a>.
With two children myself, who will inherit the legacy of the energy mix we develop today, I embrace the concept of renewable energy. The government drastically changed its support for certain renewable technologies during 2015 – and did so abruptly, to the detriment of many people and businesses I know.  I’m obviously glad that my job has not been affected and that Triodos Renewables has shown itself, in my mind, to be resilient and agile enough to respond quickly to unexpected political and commercial changes.
<h3>What&#8217;s your professional background?</h3>
Before Triodos Renewables I worked for seven years at a leading UK carbon reduction company, supporting delivery of advice and carbon reduction measures into sectors such as social housing, education and supply chain. I even project managed a team of volunteers to build a straw bale classroom! I’ve enjoyed applying (and developing) aptitudes in areas as diverse as health and safety, IT, project management, logistics and marketing. My friends – in work and out – would hopefully describe me as loyal, diligent and capable.
<h3>What do you do when you&#8217;re not at Triodos Renewables?</h3>
I love music, good food and the outdoors and sharing all of those with my family. My children look out for “Daddy’s windmills” on journeys and we even planned holidays in the last two years around my work trips to pretty nice locations. Wind turbines do alter the British scenery. But so much of our landscape is the result of farming, industry and planning heritage that I think energy provision is just part of this evolution. Technologies in this field are changing at pace and it’s thrilling to be involved in their delivery.

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Thrive Renewables

We find out more about Adrian's day-to-day responsibilities and why he loves working in renewables.

Team profile: Adrian Warman, Head of Operations

Below we summarise some of the key energy policies announced following the election and what they could mean for the future of the UK energy system.
<h3>Unlocking onshore wind</h3>
Within days of the election, the Chancellor announced plans for radical planning reform, including fulfilling the promise to lift the de facto ban on new onshore wind farms in England. As one of the cheapest and cleanest ways to produce electricity, it means onshore wind will no longer face unique planning restrictions and instead be treated the same as any other infrastructure projects – something we have been calling for since 2015. In order to scale up onshore wind in line with targets, the government has also announced the creation of an Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce, which will see it work collaboratively with the industry, regulatory and other relevant bodies to help overcome the barrier developers are currently facing.
It’s worth noting that the removal of the ban doesn’t mean new onshore wind farms will be popping up everywhere. New developments will need to undergo the usual planning process and delays with grid connection are still a major challenge. It is, however, a huge stride forward and we see great potential for the repowering of existing sites – replacing turbines that have come to the end of their life with more modern and efficient machines – which could go a long way in meeting the government’s 2030 targets, without increasing the total number of turbines.
<h3>Planning reform</h3>
After announcing plans for radical planning reform that would make building energy infrastructure easier, the government launched a new consultation: &#8216;<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-reforms-to-the-national-planning-policy-framework-and-other-changes-to-the-planning-system/proposed-reforms-to-the-national-planning-policy-framework-and-other-changes-to-the-planning-system#scope-of-consultation">Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system&#8217;</a>.
Suggested amendments to the existing National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) include instructing planning officers and local authorities to consider the benefits of renewable projects, as well as an expectation that they will proactively identify potential project sites when developing plans. The aim is that these changes will help establish a much stronger presumption in favour of approving new renewables projects, supporting the UK&#8217;s ambitious net zero goals.
As well as removing the ban on onshore wind, Labour has challenged the previous government&#8217;s decision to add a separate footnote to the NPPF giving more consideration to the availability of agricultural land when making planning decisions on new solar farms.
<h3>Great British Energy </h3>
A key part of Labour’s election manifesto was its plans for Great British Energy (GBE), a publicly owned energy company designed to drive clean energy deployment. GBE will work with and alongside the private sector to develop, own and operate clean energy assets with ambitions to double onshore wind, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind by 2030.
While we wait to see how exactly GBE will interact with the industry, we’re hopeful that this renewed focus on working together – alongside communities – is what is needed to decarbonise our energy system.
<h3>Local power plan</h3>
Recognising that local power generation is an essential part of the energy mix, GBE will also help the government to deliver on its Local Power Plan, enabling local authorities and communities to become owners and stakeholders in local clean energy projects.
In GBE’s Founding Statement, it states that ‘through partnering with and providing funding and support to Local and Combined Authorities and Community Energy Groups, the Local Power Plan will roll out small and medium scale renewable energy projects, using established technologies to develop up to 8G W of cheaper, cleaner power. This will include shared ownership projects in partnership with private developers.’
As big supporters of community energy, it’s positive to see legislation that prioritises local people, ensuring they will ‘benefit directly’ from any increase in generation. Thrive will continue working with community energy groups, helping them build and own projects – giving local people a chance to benefit socially and financially from renewables.
<h3>Rooftop solar revolution</h3>
As part of its ambition to triple solar power by 2030, the Government has outlined plans for a rooftop solar “revolution”, introducing measures that will help more homes to be fitted with solar panels to bring down domestic energy bills and tackle the climate crisis.
We recognise the importance of rooftop solar when it comes to decarbonising the UK’s energy system and have already invested just over £3 million in rooftop solar arrays for businesses across the country. Not only does this help them to lower the carbon intensity of their operations but means they can directly benefit from cheaper clean power generated on site. We see this as a key technology as we continue our diversification strategy, investing in a range of renewable assets that will work together.
<h3>Contracts for Difference</h3>
A significant jump in the budget for the next Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation round has also been announced, increasing from £1 billion to over £1.5 billion.
CfD auctions incentivise investment in energy generation projects which have a high upfront cost, by guaranteeing stable prices over a long period. It’s positive to see the uplift in funding, with £185 million of the total budget allocated to established technologies such as onshore wind and solar, up from £65 million in round five.
We believe that smaller (sub 5MW), localised clean energy projects are also important, which means developers will need to continue seeking additional routes to market. At Thrive, we also work with other business models, such as corporate power purchase agreements or ‘direct wire’ arrangements where solar and wind projects are installed on site, providing the industrial host with a direct supply of clean electricity.
Building on a series of positive announcements from government, we have and will always prioritise action – doing what’s necessary to get new projects built. We’ll also continue working with industry bodies such as RenewableUK to help inform and steer policy so that it ensures people are at the heart of a cleaner, fairer energy system in the UK.

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We summarise some of the key energy policies announced following the election and what they could mean for the future of the UK energy system.

Winds of change: What does the Labour government mean for energy?

It is powered by fluid heated by geothermal brine several miles below the Earth’s surface. This rotates the turbine which is connected to a generator that converts kinetic energy into electricity.
Site operator – Geothermal Engineering Limited (GEL) – predicts United Downs will deliver 2MWe of baseload electricity once operational, plus additional zero carbon heat for local housing, hospitals and schools. The site also has the potential to fulfil a significant portion of the UK’s lithium demand. Tests at United Downs have shown that geothermal fluid within the wells has one of the highest concentrations of lithium in Europe at 340 parts per million (ppm). This sustainably produced lithium could be used to support the growing EV industry as we transition to net zero.
GEL run monthly family open days to give local people the opportunity to learn about the project and see its progress. The next one is taking place on 20 August and tickets can be booked through <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/united-downs-deep-geothermal-power-project-family-open-day-tickets-880822552967#search">Eventbrite</a>.

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Landmark project in Cornwall on track to start generating renewable electricity in early 2025. 

United Downs will soon deliver UK’s first geothermal electricity as generation turbine is installed

The nacelle and blades at the top of the tower will be refurbished and upgraded, with works due to start in late August 2024. This will allow the turbine to run reliably into the future, generating clean power for UK homes and businesses.

Works are expected to be completed by the end of October. As part of the refurbishment, Thrive Renewables has applied for planning permission to update the logos displayed at the top of the tower. The refurbishment will go ahead whether or not the new logos are permitted. The Ness Point wind turbine has a 2.75MW capacity, enough to power over 2,200 average UK homes per year.  
Thrive Renewables runs a voluntary Community Benefit Programme with the Centre for Sustainable Energy, providing grants of up to £4,500 for energy efficiency improvements in community centres, village halls and other shared spaces, making them warmer and cheaper to run. Since the scheme started, three community buildings in the area have benefitted – Wrentham Village Hall, Community Action Suffolk’s Kirkley Centre and North East Suffolk CAB. 
Round eight of the scheme is now open to applications and community buildings in Lowestoft and the surrounding area are encouraged to apply. More information can be found <a href="/news/2024/07/helping-communities-cut-carbon-and-costs-thrive-launches-round-eight-of-community-benefit-programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here. </a>

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