Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device by websites that you visit. If you click accept, we will use cookies that track your activity across other websites, help improve your browsing experience and serve you personalised content.
If you click decline, we will only use essential cookies that are required for our website to work properly. For more information or to change your preferences, please read our Cookie policy <a href="/cookie-policy/">cookie policy</a>.

Find out more

Link

Investors

Dev Links

Buy and sell shares

Shareholders

Bonds

Overview

2025 half year report

2024 annual report

Projects

Quick Links

From South Cornwall to Orkney, from onshore wind and solar to geothermal, our diverse portfolio of clean energy projects spans the whole of the UK.

Operational

Under construction

Legacy

Impact

As one of the UK’s highest scoring B Corps, we are committed to using our business as a force for good.

Our approach

Community support

30 years Thriving

Project funding

Thrive brings together flexible funding models, proven technologies, and problem-solving people to turn your clean energy project into a reality.

Funding for

Case studies

About

Thrive exists to tackle the climate emergency, working with investors, developers, businesses and communities to fund, build and operate clean energy projects since 1994.

About us

Governance

View all

News

Find out more about our new projects, events and industry insight. 

News 

Useful Documents

News and insight

Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. <a href="/risk-summary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Take 2 mins to learn more</a>.

Sign up to our newsletter to be one of the first to hear about new projects, events and industry insight. Your data will be processed in line with Thrive’s privacy policy, available <a href="/privacy-policy/">here</a>.

Newsletter - thank you

Be part of the clean energy movement

Sign up to our newsletter to be one of the first to hear about new projects, events and industry insight. Your data will be processed in line with Thrive’s privacy policy, available <a href="/privacy-policy/">here</a>.

kessingland-2

kessingland

Latest news

Capable of generating over 7,000MWh of clean electricity a year, the equivalent of powering more than 2,000 average Scottish homes [2], the 2.5MW community turbine will deliver over 3,000 tonnes of carbon emissions reductions annually [3].  
This is the first project to be funded by Community Energy Catalyst (CEC), Thrive’s joint venture with Better Society Capital. Thrive initially provided a £4 million loan to Attix CIC in 2023 to fund construction and operation and this was transferred to CEC in July 2025. 
Now operational, Kilbirnie wind turbine will directly benefit local causes, with all profits from electricity sales going into Radio City’s programme of sustainable development projects that address the need for capital investment in a new Employment Hub, offering employment and training opportunities for local people, improve sustainable transport opportunities and help to address health and educational inequalities locally, as well as upgrading local sports and recreational facilities [4]. 
It will also support the charity’s ongoing work to address the substantial fuel poverty in its community through assistance with energy vouchers, distribution of halogen heaters and electric blankets, as well as and one to one advice to combat and reduce peoples’ energy bills.

This watershed moment for community energy follows the UK Government and Great British Energy publishing its Local Power Plan this month, aiming to invest £1 billion in locally owned clean energy projects and ensure communities directly benefit from the schemes they host [5].

The collaborative approach to funding the wind turbine provides a blueprint for financing the community-led energy transition from the ground up. It brings together £5.6 million in blended finance – £1.6 million in social investment from Social Investment Scotland and £4 million from Community Energy Catalyst. Local Energy Scotland supported the project through planning and design with a loan from the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES). The project has also received a combination of Great British Energy and Scottish Government grant funding via CARES.

[1] The project operates on a ‘merchant’ basis selling electricity on a purely commercial basis, without government price support mechanisms such as Contracts for Difference or historic Feed-in Tariffs. 
[2] Calculated using the most recent subnational statistics from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) showing that average domestic household consumption in Scotland is 3,429.3kWh per annum. 
[3] Carbon reduction is calculated by multiplying the estimated annual generation (7GWh) by the number of tonnes of carbon which fossil fuels would produce 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”). 
[4] ATTIX CIC is a Community Interest Company established, and asset locked to Radio City Association Ltd to develop the community turbine in Kilbirnie. 
[5] According to its recent strategic plan, Great British Energy (GBE) plans to support over 1,000 community energy groups to take a stake in the UK energy transition.

radio-city-team-in-cafe

Radio City team in cafe

Landmark community project in Scotland, which Thrive helped fund, is now generating clean energy locally, creating blueprint for national rollout. 

Kilbirnie community wind turbine enters commercial operation

Featured

All resolutions were passed with a significant majority, and it was inspiring to have <a href="https://www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/profile/nick-robins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Professor Nick Robins</a> from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment join us for a fireside chat on navigating a just energy transition.

After the meeting, we invited shareholders to visit the community owned ACE wind project. We are extremely proud to have invested £4 million to fund the construction of this turbine &#8211; England&#8217;s largest. It was particularly special to visit the site just ahead of <a href="https://www.communityenergyengland.org/pages/community-energy-fortnight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Community Energy Fortnight</a> which celebrates the importance of community-led energy projects just like this. Thrive are proud to be sponsoring the two week campaign run by Community Energy England for the fourth year running.
On site, Mark Pepper, Development Manager at Ambition Lawrence Weston, the charity that formed ACE, shared the inspiring story behind the project, which is owned by the local community. Profits generated from the turbine will be reinvested back into the local area at Lawrence Weston, Bristol, acting as a driver for regeneration. ACE also plan to build an Energy Learning Zone to inspire young people and provide training to upskill residents for zero carbon careers.
It was also great to have Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, join us for the visit.

Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, speaking to shareholders at ACE wind turbine 

Newsletter CTA

ace_june_2024-15

ACE_June_2024-15

Following our Annual General Meeting (AGM), shareholders visited the Ambition Community Energy (ACE) wind turbine in the countdown to Community Energy Fortnight. 

‘Just transition’ brought to life at AGM with a visit to England’s largest community owned onshore wind turbine

Last year Thrive provided community energy group, ATTIX CIC, with a loan of £4 million to enable them to press on with construction. We recently headed up to Scotland to spend time on site with Allan and Scott Wilson from Radio City Association, who founded Attix CIC as part of their mission to develop community owned renewable energy assets and other community initiatives in the Garnock Valley.
The community have already overcome multiple challenges, so it was rewarding to see their efforts coming to fruition as construction progresses. During our visit, we got to see some of the project infrastructure already in place, including the completed access track – ready for the turbine to be installed in the Autumn.

Once operational, the turbine will have the capacity to generate 7,839 MWh of clean electricity per year, the equivalent of powering 2,234 average UK homes, and will also deliver 3,324 tonnes of carbon emissions reductions annually. Profits from electricity sales will be reinvested back into the local area, which could include local sports and recreational facilities, as well as supporting the refurbishment of the Knox Institute building – a one-time important community hub. One of their recent initiatives which we were also able to see was a cycle path to connect the area better with the rail station. In the future the profits from the wind turbine will be able to fund similar initiatives.
Thrive’s funding is complemented by a £1.6 million investment from responsible finance provider, Social Investment Scotland, as part of a blended finance package, while Local Energy Scotland supported the project through planning and design with funding via the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES).
This project is a great example for other community groups in Scotland and we were proud to see it featured in presentations and discussions at this year’s All Energy conference, one of the UK’s largest annual gatherings of professionals in the renewables space.
Construction of the project is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-6881 size-large" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kil-32-768x1024.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="1024" srcset="https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kil-32-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kil-32-225x300.jpg 225w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kil-32-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kil-32-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kil-32-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" />

kil-24

Kil 24

Construction of the 2.5MW project near North Ayrshire is well underway and expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Behind the scenes at Scotland’s first subsidy free, 100% community-owned onshore wind turbine

Last year our wind, solar and hydro projects generated 136,316 MWh of renewable electricity [1]. That’s enough to power over 42,000 average UK homes, equivalent to a town the size of Preston [2]. Our portfolio of clean energy projects also delivered emissions reductions equivalent to 58,620 tCO2e[3].

20240130trbabbasaday-45-ar

20240130TRBabbasaDay-45 AR

Thrive Impact 2023 

thrive_impact-2023_landscape_aw

Thrive_Impact 2023_landscape_AW

We were pleased to be able to invest in more community energy projects in 2023. This includes investing £4 million in a community-owned wind project in Kilbirnie, Scotland, bringing the total we have committed to community energy projects to date to £20 million. Thrive also became the first commercial battery owner to offer shared ownership to a local community group at the Feeder Road project in Bristol, which entered operation in December 2023.
The social, environmental and financial impact Thrive delivers is recognised in our B Corp status. Early in 2024 we recertified, achieving a new impact score of 131.1 – placing us in the top 3% of all UK B Corps.
As we approach our thirtieth year of building and funding clean energy projects, we are committed to doubling the amount of new generation we invest in over the next five years. Last year we made our single largest investment to date &#8211; providing a £20 million loan to Ethical Power to fund part of its solar and battery storage pipeline, with 178 MW currently in development.
As well as building new clean energy capacity, we are continuing to connect more people to renewables, welcoming over 480 new investors via our crowdfund which launched in October 2023 and completed in January 2024. It is thanks to our investors old and new that we are able to help build an energy system fit for future generations.

Another key highlight from 2023 was awarding a record £37,000 in energy efficiency grants to community buildings across the UK through our Community Benefit Programme. The annual programme, run in collaboration with the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE,) helps community hubs near our projects reduce their carbon footprints and manage energy costs. For the first time since starting the programme in 2016, we also provided ‘energy essentials’ training to applicants, delivered by CSE, on topics such as fuel poverty awareness.

The fully audited Annual Report and Financial Statements can be downloaded <a href="https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Thrive_Annual-report_2023_Final-web-version.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
*  Please remember that past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future returns.  
[1] Impact Portfolio describing Thrive’s share of projects owned plus the projects Thrive is funding. 
[2] Calculated using the most recent statistics from the DESNZ showing that UK average domestic household consumption is 3,239 kWh per annum (<a href="https://www.renewableuk.com/page/UKWEDExplained" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.renewableuk.com/page/UKWEDExplained</a>) 
Average residents per household  2.4 (<a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2020</a>), Population of Preston is 99,198 (<a href="https://www.thegeographist.com/uk-cities-population-1000/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.thegeographist.com/uk-cities-population-1000/</a>). 
[3] RenewableUK uses DESNZ’s “all non-renewable fuels” emissions statistic of 424 tonnes of carbon dioxide per GWh of electricity supplied in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (July 2023) Table 5.14 (“Estimated carbon dioxide emissions from electricity supplied”. Carbon reduction is calculated by multiplying the total amount of renewable electricity generated by Thrive’s impact portfolio per year by the number of tonnes of carbon which fossil fuels would have produced to generate the same amount of electricity.

136,316 MWh of renewable electricity generated over the course of the year. 

Thrive announces £13.6 million operating profit for 2023 with £12.3 million of capital allocated to build new clean energy projects

Vision: We believe in the power of together. A world where everyone can be part of the clean energy generation.   
Mission: Putting money to work building new sustainable energy projects and empowering people to take action to address the climate emergency.  
Today we unite a community of over 6,000. And together we have grown our impact by building or funding the construction of 39 renewable energy projects.  
We are aiming to double our renewable energy generation capacity over the next five years; bringing together more individuals, developers and communities to build new renewable energy projects, faster.  
As we update our look, we stay true to the values that we have been cultivating since building our first wind turbine. 
<h3>Sustainable at the heart  </h3>
We’re totally committed to a clean energy future that benefits everyone. That’s why we have been investing in sustainable power in the UK for over 30 years. Thrive people are outcome driven, commercially innovative and passionate about making a positive impact in all we do. We only invest in clean energy projects that deliver long term, measurable environmental impacts.  
<h3>Rewarding connection </h3>
Thrive exists to enable people to change the future of energy for the better. We believe that bringing together people, proven technologies and a pioneering approach will accelerate the transformation our world needs. We share knowledge, insights and opportunities generating outcomes that are good for everyone. 
<h3>Together we can be a movement for change. </h3>
We are inspired by being part of a movement that delivers tangible change. A movement that sees the true value of making a positive environmental and social impact. Our eyes are fixed on a better future; let’s make the switch from fossil to sustainable, generating clean energy today, for generations to come.

twitter-linkedin-facebook-launch-post

twitter, linkedin, facebook launch post

Let’s act together to address the climate emergency. 

New look and feel reaffirms our commitment to a collective movement for change

The extension will add three turbines with an expected generation capacity of 12-15MW, bringing the overall Drumduff Wind Farm to 6 turbines and the combined onsite generation capacity to over 21MW.
Located primarily in a commercial Sitka Spruce forest, the project plan includes substantial ‘forest to bog’ restoration of peatland bringing substantial ecological and biodiversity gains. The project will also be providing £5,000 per MW of installed generation capacity to the local community.

Drumdduff is located next to Blawhorn Moss National Nature Reserve, an area of peatland, home to a rich and diverse ecosystem that’s crucial for tackling biodiversity loss. We’ve worked with NatureScot to extend the boardwalk at the nature reserve so that local residents can enjoy this area of natural beauty.

Sign up to our newsletter to be one of the first to hear about new projects, events and industry insight. You can unsubscribe at any time.

dc01

DC01

The extension will boost the overall capacity of the Scottish wind project to over 21MW.

Planning consent for Drumduff wind farm extension will triple its generation capacity

An on-site or ‘direct wire’ project is when a renewable asset like a rooftop solar array is built on a commercial premises, with the host business benefitting from a direct supply of clean electricity. With no upfront capital investment required, the business will purchase the energy directly from Eden through a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Such arrangements help to protect the host business against high energy prices at the same time as supporting the UK’s net zero goals.  
​​The first round of investment will be into 15 schools, including​ ​phase 1 of the ​Oasis Community Learning ​portfolio,​​ ​which ​will save​ an estimated 8,000 tonnes of carbon emissions and £3 million in total.

Commercial buildings are currently responsible for almost a quarter (23%) of built environment carbon emissions in the UK [1], however​,​ rooftop solar projects can help businesses to decarbonise by giving them access to a direct supply of cheaper, cleaner electricity.  
This holds significant potential for supporting the UK’s net zero goals, with a 2023 report by the countryside charity, CPRE, suggesting that installing solar panels on existing rooftops and other land could deliver at least 40-50GW in England alone – going a long way to meet the ​solar industry’s ​target of delivering 70GW of new solar energy by 2035.

scott-burrows-eden-monika-paplaczyk-thrive

Scott Burrows (Eden) Monika Paplaczyk (Thrive)

We’re working together to install rooftop and ground mount solar on schools and businesses across the UK.

Thrive partners with Eden Sustainable on solar accelerator deal facility aiming to fund up to 75MW of new 'direct wire' solar projects

The new score reflects our growing environmental and social impact as we continue bringing together people, companies and communities to accelerate change. 
Core areas of the business that we’ve increased our impact in include environmental reporting and supply chain due diligence. We also significantly increased energy efficiency in our office, for example overhauling the lighting to an intelligent system of LEDs that are using over 60% less energy.
Thrive has been taking action to tackle climate change for almost 30 years. During that time we’ve built or funded 39 clean energy projects, generating over 2.2TWh of clean electricity. That’s <a href="https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/thrive-renewables-plc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enough to meet the demand of 1.3 million UK residents, saving over 1 million tonnes of CO2e emissions</a><a href="https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/thrive-renewables-plc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">.</a> 
In 2023 our portfolio of renewable energy projects generated 136,316MWh of clean electricity, enough to power all the homes in a town the size of Preston and delivered emissions reductions equivalent to 58,620 tCO2e. Recognising that there’s always more that we can do to reduce our carbon intensity we have committed to <a href="/our-impact/business-ethics/net-zero/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reaching net zero by 2030</a> as part of the SME Climate Hub.

[1] Based on our analysis of a publicly available dataset from B Lab, up to date as of April 2024: <a href="https://data.world/blab/b-corp-impact-data" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://data.world/blab/b-corp-impact-data</a><a href="https://data.world/blab/b-corp-impact-data" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> </a>

bristol-bath-b-corps-b

Bristol & Bath B Corps B

Twenty point increase in impact score.

Thrive in top 3% of UK B Corps following recertification

The Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE)’s Green Match Fund appeal aims to provide more communities with the bespoke tools and resources that they need to create sustainable, resilient places to live – from improving the energy efficiency of houses and community buildings to preserving natural spaces and setting up social enterprises for community energy.  
As long-standing supporters of CSE’s work helping communities to take local climate action, we are proud to support their Green Match Fund this April. Between 18th-25th, Thrive will be doubling donations made to CSE until the match pot runs out. This means your donation could make twice the difference.
<h4><a href="https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a056900002S0j8wAAB?utm_source=thrive&amp;utm_medium=comms&amp;utm_campaign=gmf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to donate</a></h4>

Providing Green Match Funding to CSE is part of our wider commitment to the charity. They also  deliver our Community Benefit Programme which improves energy efficiency for community buildings near our sites, making them warmer, cosier and cheaper to run. By working together on the Green Match Fund we can help even more communities reduce carbon emissions and use energy more sustainably.

Make double the difference to community climate action 

ace_june_2024-6

ACE_June_2024-6

Green Match Fund 2024

We’re helping them make double the difference to community climate action.

Centre for Sustainable Energy's Big Give Green Match Fund

The bond helped to fund new projects that deliver cheaper, cleaner electricity to homes and businesses across the UK, including a milestone community wind project in Cumbria in 2017. Mean Moor wind farm was the first recipient of our award-winning community energy funding bridge, enabling the first commercial scale wind farm in the country to transfer from a developer to 100% community ownership. Funds raised by the bond were also used to build a 6MW wind farm in West Lothian on the site of a disused coal mine, as well as a 2MW hydro-electric project in the Scottish Highlands.

Thrive was ‘highly commended’ at Investment Week’s Sustainable Investment Awards in 2017 for this innovative green energy bond, giving bondholders the opportunity to include their investment in an IFISA.

img_4719

IMG_4719

Launching in 2016, it was the first bond offer to be available through an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA).

Second Thrive bond successfully repaid after seven years funding new clean energy projects

In total our wind, solar and hydro projects delivered emissions reductions equivalent to 58,620 tCO2e, a 1% increase in impact on 2022 [3]. 
Despite overall wind speeds in the UK being slightly lower last year than the long-term average, we managed to generate more power than in 2022.  
As part of our long-term growth strategy we aim to double our renewable generation capacity over the next five years. Last year we made <a href="/latest-news/news/new-deal-with-ethical-power-will-help-double-thrive-s-impact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our largest single investment to date</a> and continued to support community-owned projects, including committing £4 million to <a href="/latest-news/news/4-million-investment-into-community-group-attix-cic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scotland’s first subsidy free, 100% community-owned onshore wind turbine</a>.  
We also extended the life of our 22 year old Sigurd wind turbine on Orkney after the original blades reached end of life having generated 88GWh of clean electricity in one of the windiest spots in the UK. Refurbished blades have been fitted so that Sigurd can continue generating clean electricity while the old blades are being <a href="/latest-news/news/reducing-waste-at-our-sigurd-wind-farm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repurposed into useful items like bike shelters and EV charging stations</a>.

[1] Impact Portfolio describing Thrive’s share of projects owned plus the projects Thrive is funding.
[2] Average residents per household 2.4 (<a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2020</a>), Population of Preston is 99,198 (<a href="https://www.thegeographist.com/uk-cities-population-1000/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.thegeographist.com/uk-cities-population-1000/</a>).
[3] RenewableUK uses DESNZ’s “all non-renewable fuels” emissions statistic of 424 tonnes of carbon dioxide per GWh of electricity supplied in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (July 2023) Table 5.14 (“Estimated carbon dioxide emissions from electricity supplied”). Carbon reduction is calculated by multiplying the total amount of renewable electricity generated by Thrive’s impact portfolio per year by the number of tonnes of carbon which fossil fuels would have produced to generate the same amount of electricity.

featured-post-2

Consistent performance across the portfolio in 2023, despite a slight drop in wind.

Records and repowering: We generated enough clean electricity to power 42,000 homes

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>.

hawksbury-hospital-hall-e1710320781213

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

Government research suggests that 13,700 people who were out of work in 2024 possess many of the skills required for key roles in the clean energy sector, such as engineering and skilled trades like building and construction. This could have a significant impact on communities across the UK, especially those that have been directly impacted by the decline in fossil fuel generation.
“Communities have long been calling out for a new generation of good industrial jobs. The clean energy jobs boom can answer that call […] Our plans will help create an economy in which there is no need to leave your hometown just to find a decent job. Thanks to this government’s commitment to clean energy, a generation of young people in our industrial heartlands can have well-paid secure jobs, from plumbers to electricians and welders.” – Ed Miliband, Energy Secretary
As a business operating within the renewable energy space, we are aware of the huge increase in skills needed to deliver the clean energy system of the future and wholeheartedly agree that the focus needs to be on both the current and future workforce. In fact, <a href="https://www.greencareershub.com/green-future/green-skills/">a 2024 survey by LinkedIn</a> found that “by 2050, there will be twice as many jobs requiring green skills as people qualified to fill them if today’s trends continue.”
At Thrive, as well as advocating for the transfer of skills from the oil and gas sector, we actively encourage students to consider the benefits of choosing a green career. In the past, this has included engagement days with social enterprises like Babassa, which helps young adults to realise their employment, enterprise and academic ambitions, irrespective of where they live, their nationality, ethnicity, gender, race, sexuality or faith. We also offer a summer internship to university undergraduates looking to understand more about the clean energy sector, supporting their exploration in areas such as IT, finance and investment.
With progress being made towards a more supportive policy framework, we sat down with several Thrive team members to find out what they love about working in sustainability and how we, as an industry, can support more workers to find their place within the evolving green economy.
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-2406 size-medium" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Thrive-Open-Day-2022-69-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Thrive-Open-Day-2022-69-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Thrive-Open-Day-2022-69-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Thrive-Open-Day-2022-69-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Thrive-Open-Day-2022-69-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Thrive-Open-Day-2022-69-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Who are you and what’s your role at Thrive?
Monika Paplaczyk, Chief Investment Officer – I lead the investment team in the originating, development, acquisition and construction of Thrive’s projects, as well as manage the commercial aspects of the portfolio.
What made you choose renewable energy? 
After finishing my Masters degree (focused on sustainability), I joined a boutique consultancy in Edinburgh, Euro Access, specialising in accessing grant funding for infrastructure projects. I attended All-Energy in 2006 (which has since become one of the UK’s biggest renewable trade shows) and realised that joining the energy industry would be an excellent opportunity to apply my business and practical skills, as well as my interest in impact. The development of renewable projects like wind and solar also help to address inequalities in disadvantaged and rural communities, improving the economic outlook through the creation of new jobs.
What needs to be done to support more people in entering a green career?
I am particularly passionate about supporting more women to enter STEM subjects and jobs. For me, this starts with creating and encouraging more girls to join STEM programmes from a young age, as well as having better representation of successful women in STEM fields in the media. There was a great episode of the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0f0k1fs">Big Green Money Show</a> where it followed a young woman who left behind a six-year career in hairdressing for a new life working on an offshore wind project. As an industry, there’s more we should be doing to ensure the next generation see examples that they can relate and aspire to – it can be as easy as using social media to champion female colleagues, engaging with a mentoring scheme or challenging gender biases in hiring and leadership.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-8939 alignleft" src="/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/43-scaled-e1752835474669-300x202.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="202" srcset="https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/43-scaled-e1752835474669-300x202.jpg 300w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/43-scaled-e1752835474669-1024x690.jpg 1024w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/43-scaled-e1752835474669-768x517.jpg 768w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/43-scaled-e1752835474669-1536x1034.jpg 1536w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/43-scaled-e1752835474669-2048x1379.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Who are you and what’s your role at Thrive? 
David Matheson, Senior Sustainability Analyst – I lead on measuring, monitoring, and enhancing Thrive’s environmental and social impact, overseeing our net zero and biodiversity strategies, and manage Thrive’s B Corp commitment.
What made you choose renewable energy?
I am driven by a desire to address real-world sustainability challenges. With a background in Conservation Biology and Ecology, I began my career in ecological consultancy before joining Thrive to focus on sustainability in a renewables context. Transitioning into the renewables sector broadened my expertise whilst allowing me to continue applying my ecological knowledge, particularly when working on the biodiversity strategies for our project sites. It’s incredibly rewarding to be a part of a sector that not only reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, but also provides opportunities to engage communities and contribute towards nature recovery too.
What needs to be done to support more people in entering a green career?
When I was choosing my A Levels, I was fortunate to be able to take Environmental Science as a subject. I really loved how it connected science with real world sustainability challenges, and it inspired me to pursue a career that would play a role in addressing these global issues. It deepened my understanding of the pressures facing the natural world and was quite a pivotal moment in my career journey. I believe educating people on these issues in an applied, problem-solving context like this can inspire them to get started on their path towards a green career. But by itself it isn’t enough – to really give people the chance to align their careers with the green transition, we need to offer them better career guidance, mentorship and hands on experience. This includes young people but importantly, it also needs to consider those who are looking to switch from existing careers into green jobs as the energy transition progresses.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-9304" src="https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-300x200.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Who are you and what’s your role at Thrive?
Alex Lomax, Communications Manager – I am responsible for driving awareness of who Thrive is and what we do, ensuring that all activity aligns with our brand and mission of empowering people to come together and take action against the climate emergency.
What made you choose renewable energy?
I had been working in PR and communications for several years and had got to a point where I wanted the stories that I was telling to reflect more of my own values. I’d been working on a global clean energy podcast in a previous role and really enjoyed it. From then, I knew that I wanted to use my skills to help accelerate the transition here in the UK.
What needs to be done to support more people in entering a green career?
We need to be clarifying what “green skills” means before people start entering the job market. Working in renewable energy, for example, doesn’t have to mean being a turbine engineer or solar panel installer. You might be an excellent collaborator, able to communicate well, or think critically – all these skills are needed and can be applied to a wide variety of roles, from project manager through to web developer. I think it’s important that career guidance supports students to be aware of and understand the breadth of roles that are available to them under the ‘green jobs’ umbrella – something I didn’t have when leaving college or university.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

20240130trbabbasaday-23

20240130TRBabbasaDay-23

The Government has announced a national plan to train people for an extra 400,000 green jobs in the next five years. 

Clean Energy Jobs Plan – the future of the workforce is green

An on-site mixing plant was used to reduce vehicle use in the local area and boost efficiency. Construction materials for the civil works have also been sourced locally. The works are being headed up by Scottish based construction company I &amp; H Brown.

Whitelaw Brae is on track to start generating clean electricity by 2026. Once operational, it will be capable of generating enough clean electricity for around 45,000 homes a year.

2bf60905-b087-4917-8172-ecc587b1fe04

Construction of our 57MW onshore wind farm has reached a new milestone.  

Foundations for a greener future: bases laid for Whitelaw Brae - our biggest project yet

Last week the Climate Change Committee warned that we must prepare for a world hotter than 2°C by 2050. But we’re already seeing an increase in extreme weather events. The physical impacts of climate change cost the global economy at least <a href="https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4520285/study-annual-climate-losses-rise-fold-century-usd14tr-last">$1.4 trillion last year</a> and have risen 10-fold since the turn of the century.  
Without new renewables in the UK, we’ll continue to import billions of pounds worth of gas to meet the rising demand for electricity, priced on volatile international markets, leaving billpayers exposed to unnecessarily high prices. In 2022, we saw the single biggest energy subsidy in the UK’s history when the Government spent <a href="https://obr.uk/box/the-cost-of-the-governments-energy-support-policies/">over £40 billion subsidising the cost of gas</a> to shield consumers from skyrocketing bills.  
And let’s not forget that gas resources are finite. According to RenewableUK, if the UK were to meet its rapidly increasing electricity demand in the coming decade without new renewables, it would need to more than double its gas imports. There is no credible way the UK could source this gas through additional North Sea extraction. Even if every potential North Sea discovery was brought into production, it is estimated that this <a href="https://www.renewableuk.com/news-and-resources/blog/can-north-sea-oil-and-gas-really-power-britain-s-future/">would only be sufficient to meet between 5% and 10% of the country’s electricity demand</a> by the early 2030s.  
In contrast, renewables provide a homegrown, low cost means to meet rising demand. Wind and solar offer a stable price of electricity, unlike gas, which changes based on the international market. But because of the UK’s current market pricing system, gas sets electricity prices in the UK so billpayers don’t benefit. Research suggests that reducing emissions by 87% by 2040 <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/ccc-reducing-emissions-87-by-2040-would-help-cut-household-costs-by-1400/">could help cut household costs by £1,400</a>. And wind and solar are already supplying a large chunk of our electricity demand. Last year renewables provided more than half of the UK’s electricity needs, with wind generating around 30% of total demand.  
Not to mention the huge economic opportunity we’d be missing out on by dampening net zero ambitions – the UK’s wind industry alone <a href="https://www.renewableuk.com/news-and-resources/publications/wind-industry-skills-intelligence-report-2025/">employs around 55,000 people</a> in high value jobs, a figure that is expected to rise to over 110,000 by 2030. And just this week the government announced plans to create an extra 400,000 clean energy jobs by the end of the decade. It’s also estimated that over the past ten years <a href="https://www.renewableuk.com/news-and-resources/press-releases/uk-wind-industry-celebrates-decade-of-growth-with-nearly-2-000-companies-now-in-the-sector-s-supply-chain/">more than £550 million</a> has already been locally invested through Community Benefit Funds (payments made by developers of renewable energy infrastructure to the local community). This figure is expected to rise to £150 million annually if Government ambitions to 2030 are met.  
Tackling climate change comes with costs, but what we can see here is that the price of inaction is likely to prove far greater. The cost of adapting to rising sea levels and other climate impacts, plus the disruption of dealing with man-made ‘natural disasters’, will dwarf the opportunity to implement net zero. So, amongst the noise let’s not lose sight of the huge opportunity we have to build a cleaner, more prosperous future for people and planet.

Latest news

Find out more about our new projects, events and industry insight.

Featured

03 Mar 2026

Kilbirnie community wind turbine enters commercial operation

09 Jul 2024

05 Jun 2024

29 May 2024

15 May 2024

07 May 2024

23 Apr 2024

18 Apr 2024

17 Apr 2024

12 Apr 2024

28 Mar 2024

25 Mar 2024

29 Feb 2024