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Latest news

The new initiative, Community Energy Catalyst, will support local communities to build their own clean energy infrastructure or secure stakes in larger regional renewable energy schemes. Fair Play Clean Energy, Thrive’s existing joint venture with Top Cashback Sustainability Ltd, will provide £20 million of the investment, with Better Society Capital providing matched funding.
Community Energy Catalyst will make investments ranging between £0.5 million to £30 million in individual projects which are at least 1MW in size and employ proven technologies such as onshore and offshore wind, solar PV and hydro-electric. The joint venture will target late-stage development projects that have already secured planning consent, enabling them to advance through to construction, commissioning and operation while aligning with local objectives.
As well as funding, Thrive brings 30 years of experience financing, building and operating clean energy projects in the UK, and will provide support to community energy groups during key milestones such as procurement and grid connection.
When we created our award-winning community funding bridge in 2017, it was the first of its kind. Eight years later we’ve invested over £21 million into seven community energy projects, including £4 million to build England’s largest onshore wind turbine, which is 100% owned by the community in our home city of Bristol.

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ACE_June_2024-6

Funding partnership with Better Society Capital will help more communities to own their own projects or take a stake in a larger project in their local area.

We’re partnering with the UK’s leading social impact investor to mobilise £40 million for community-owned energy projects

Featured

<a href="/news/2024/12/weve-acquired-the-development-rights-for-our-biggest-project-to-date-a-57mw-onshore-wind-farm-in-scotland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whitelaw Brae, a 57MW wind farm project in Scotland</a>, is wholly owned by Thrive Renewables. We bought it from the original developer at the end of last year after a competitive tender. Ripple was not part of that transaction and Thrive has not received any funds from Ripple Energy or Coop 4.   
We have been exploring ways to integrate Coop 4 into the project, so we need to await the outcome of the administration process. As owner of Whitelaw Brae, we will continue with construction and we hope to include an opportunity for shared ownership if possible.   
Thrive Renewables was established in 1994 and has an operational portfolio of 24 clean energy projects, with further projects in development. We have a long track record of supporting community and shared ownership, both at the sites we own and by providing finance for community-owned energy projects. You can find out more here  <a href="/project-funding/community-energy-groups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Community energy groups – Thrive Renewables</a>

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Thrive Renewables

Whitelaw Brae wind farm update

Last year the UK energy transition reached new milestones, as the last coal fired power station closed its doors and the UK’s wind fleet set new records &#8211; becoming the largest source of electricity generation for the first year ever. Plus, there were a number of positive actions from government, culminating in the publication of their <a href="/news/2025/01/lets-not-forget-smaller-local-projects-in-the-new-era-of-clean-electricity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clean Power 2030 Action Plan</a> at the end of the year. Whilst we push for further action from government to accelerate the energy transition, we’re busy as ever building more renewables to lower emissions and create a fairer, more secure energy system.

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Chris Watt Photography_427

In our 30th year rolling out renewables, we generated enough clean power for over 40,000 average UK homes.  

Good generation across the portfolio in a historic year for UK energy

As long-term advocates of community ownership, we were proud to represent the sector in parliament this month, giving evidence to the Energy Security and Net Zero committee inquiry ‘Unlocking community energy at scale’. From community energy groups to facilitators, charities and funders like Thrive, it brought together leaders from across the industry to have an insightful discussion on the potential of locally owned projects and the barriers to progress.
One of the questions asked was whether a public awareness campaign would be helpful and, if the above stat is anything to go by, our response is yes! Community energy is a climate solution that could be accessible to thousands of people across the country, yet many are unsure of what it is and how to access it.
<h4>What is community energy?</h4>
According to Community Energy England, “community energy is about people and communities taking democratic control over their energy future, by understanding, generating, using, owning and saving energy in their communities”.
In many cases, this would be when a community takes control and owns, or has a share, in a project producing clean energy – for example, the Ambition Community Energy turbine in Bristol which has been operational since 2023. The clean electricity generated helps power homes and businesses, while revenues are used to fund other local initiatives.
What change do we need to see for community energy to flourish?
Although community energy has been gaining momentum for a number of years, the new government has shone a light on the sector – with specific reference to supporting community projects in both its Local Power Plan and Great British Energy Bill.
However, there are various challenges community energy groups face when developing their own projects, in particular a lack of funding, sometimes skills and expertise and access to appropriate sites. As part of the committee inquiry, Thrive suggested that we need to see a positive change in at least one of these areas:
Revenue / power price – Revenues are driven by the underlying productivity of the project (MWh) and the route to market (power prices). One key change the government could make is enabling community energy projects to participate in its Contracts for Difference auctions, which provides more revenue certainty. This is not currently accessible to community groups as most projects are too small to participate.
Development and capital expenditure – Government funding currently tends to flow more to feasibility studies than developing projects, prioritising innovation over typical developer skills (land agents, property lawyers, developers). We propose GB Energy to offer a revolving fund of low interest, long-term construction loans designed to complement private sector investors and development loans with write off ability.
Grid connections – Another way to bring down upfront costs would be for GB Energy to fund the grid infrastructure and then charge the community an annual fee over the project’s lifetime. At the end of its life, the project could be repowered in which the new project would continue payments to GB Energy. The investment case into grid by GB Energy could be long term and given the lower risk profile could attract lower cost of capital.
It is vitally important that support is provided by Great British Energy to make projects viable, but great care should be taken to ensure that finance is carefully blended, so public money seeds and facilitates private and community investment rather than replacing it.
How is Thrive helping to unlock local investment?
We believe that there is huge opportunity for community energy to scale up, with the potential to transform people’s attitudes to renewables locally. This can be achieved with a blend of finance from the private and public sector.
Thrive has committed to offering local Community Benefit Societies up to a 10% stake in all future projects. This builds on our track record of facilitating shared ownership, from the first wind farm we built in Cumbria to becoming the first commercial developer in the UK to offer the local community a stake in a battery storage project.
We’re also helping to facilitate projects through <a href="/news/2025/03/were-partnering-with-the-uks-leading-social-impact-investor-to-mobilise-40-million-for-community-owned-energy-projects">our new partnership with social impact investor, Better Society Capital</a>. The joint venture, Community Energy Catalyst, will bring together £40 million to support local communities to build their own clean energy infrastructure or secure stakes in larger regional renewable energy schemes.
Community Energy Catalyst will make investments ranging between £0.5 million to £30 million in individual projects which are at least 1MW in size and employ proven technologies such as onshore and offshore wind, solar PV and hydro-electric. The joint venture will target late-stage development projects that have already secured planning consent, enabling them to advance through to construction, commissioning and operation while aligning with local objectives.

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Blawhorn moss nature reserve (1)

We've been busy flying the flag for community-owned projects in parliament - here's our key takeaways. 

Government seeking to unlock community energy at scale

The new joint venture, Burgar Hill Energy Ltd, will manage the proposed development, with a proposed turbine tip height of up to 200 metres and combined capacity of up to 30MW. The wind farm will also provide an estimated £150k in community benefit each year (based on the proposed capacity of 30MW), which will be used to support local projects and developments.
Proposals for the repowering project are currently in the early stages. Work has begun on planning studies and Burgar Hill Energy will soon launch a public consultation into the plans, with two community events planned to take place in the coming months, which will be advertised locally. More information can be found on the <a href="https://burgarhillenergy.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Burgar Hill Energy website here</a>.
Burgar Hill was home to some of the world’s first multi-megawatt wind turbines and acted as a crucial testbed for onshore wind in the 1980s. Both Burgar Hill Renewables, which also represents the local landowner, and Thrive own a turbine on the site. The additional three turbines currently in place are owned by other third parties.

In 2023 we replaced Sigurd’s blades, which had reached the end of their life, working with ReBlade to repurpose them into useful items like bike shelters and EV charging stations. This saw us become one of the first UK companies to decommission wind turbine blades using circular economy principles.

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The companies will shortly be consulting on the repowering of Burgar Hill wind farm. 

Thrive is partnering with Burgar Hill Renewables to give a new lease of life to one of the UK’s pioneering wind farm sites 

Start with communities
We put people at the heart of the energy transition, ensuring the benefits of clean energy are kept local. The Ambition Community Energy wind turbine in Bristol – which we provided £4 million of investment into &#8211; is a great example of how local clean energy projects are already benefitting communities every day. As well as providing a new revenue stream to drive regeneration in Lawrence Weston, plans for an Energy Learning Zone will inspire young people and upskill residents to pursue green careers. Making the benefits of climate action directly relatable to our everyday lives also helps unite and inspire action.

Harness the power of together
We won’t tackle the climate emergency if we don’t work together. So we collaborate with individuals, businesses and communities to build the renewable assets that the UK needs, faster. As well as providing community funding bridges, we enter into co-investments and joint ventures with industry peers and help businesses decarbonise through on-site renewables. Today we unite a community of over 6,000 individuals, businesses, social enterprises and institutions all committed to making the switch from fossil fuels to renewables. Together we’ve generated over 2 million MWh of clean electricity and avoided the emission of more than 1 million tonnes of CO2e.
And let’s not forget the facts!
Against the noise, we remain focussed on action – last year acquiring the rights to our biggest project yet. UK fossil fuel generation reached its lowest quarterly share in a century in Q3 2024, while renewable energy hit record growth. Let’s not forget how far we’ve come from when renewables were the pursuits of a humble few in the 90s to becoming mainstream today – generating over 50% of Britain’s electricity last year. In 2024 we also said goodbye to the UK’s last coal fired power station – a huge milestone in the energy transition and poignant reminder that together we are making significant progress. So let’s keep it up, and support each other as we keep our eyes fixed on a cleaner, fairer future.

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Chris Watt Photography_302

Staying positive and powerful against the new wave of climate denialism. 

(Climate) actions speak louder than words

It’s less “drill, baby, drill” and more mill, baby, mill! In fact, it’s got us thinking about how getting to net zero is not only about delivering new projects but making the most of those that already exist.
<h3>What is repowering?</h3>
Repowering is when an existing project – like an onshore wind turbine – is upgraded to make it more efficient and productive. It normally takes place once the turbine or wind farm has reached the end of its original design life (usually after 25-30 years) and, because of innovations in technology, often sees multiple smaller turbines replaced with fewer, larger – but more modern and powerful – machines.
This normally increases the site capacity, for example when Caton Moor wind farm was repowered back in 2006, we were able to increase the annual power yield seven-fold. Importantly, it also means that asset owners can streamline the process that comes with developing a new project as the existing site has already been proven to be suitable for wind, will continue to be used for the same activity and has been granted planning permission previously.
<h3>What are the benefits of repowering? </h3>
1. Makes the most of our available onshore wind and land resources and reduces waste
One of the first things we saw the new Government introduce last summer was updated targets for renewable energy development in the UK, including a goal of 30GW of onshore wind by 2030. While it’s important to recognise that yes, we do need to add new capacity – including onshore wind – to the grid, we can’t forget that there are a finite number of sites that will be suitable for these technologies. It makes exercises like repowering a vital part of the journey as the land has already been allocated and in a prime location that makes the most of the country’s abundant natural resources.
It&#8217;s also worth noting that repowering can be done in a conscious way to reduce waste as parts can be recycled or reused – like with Caton Moor, the turbines which were removed from the site were re-erected in Poland within weeks of their removal.
2. Continued access to clean, homegrown power 
Onshore wind is currently one of the cleanest, cheapest and quickest ways to generate electricity and is vital to improving our energy security – making sure the country is less exposed to the price volatility that comes with using fossil fuels. However, in its 2024 manifesto, RenewableUK estimated that by 2040 we are in danger of losing almost 9GW of onshore wind (compared to the current total capacity of 15GW) as it reaches the end of its life. By repowering these sites, we won’t lose important generating capacity at a critical time for both the UK and planet, helping to accelerate the transition at the pace and scale required for net zero.
3. Community benefit 
We know that the majority of communities are supportive of onshore wind. In fact, according to the government’s latest polling, 7 in 10 (78%) are supportive of the technology and recognise its role in lowering bills, improving energy security and tackling climate change.
Repowering gives host communities the opportunity to continue benefitting from onshore wind, whether it be through the creation of local green jobs or support for local initiatives via community benefit funds. For example, Thrive’s voluntary Community Benefit Programme makes energy efficiency grants available to community buildings close to our sites. Since 2016, we’ve awarded 70 grants totalling over £225,000, helping to make important local spaces warmer and cheaper to run.
<h3>What are the barriers we need to overcome?</h3>
It was positive to see that the Government will include UK repowering projects in the next round of its annual Contracts for Difference scheme, creating the opportunity for onshore wind farms to utilise finance when funding repowering.  Access to the CfD should accelerate the repowering process, making the investment decision to seamlessly progress from the maturing site to the repowered opportunity more straight forward.
But we still need to see continued support and even a clear planning presumption or incentive in favour of repowering – not just for onshore wind but other renewable technologies too. This will then help engage local authorities around what we do with aging infrastructure and empower them to deal with applications appropriately as part of their wider transition plans.
The other challenge is grid connection. Even if a project can be successfully repowered, due to the current grid constraints asset owners may not be able to access additional grid capacity that would allow them to increase the generation capability of the wind farm. It means that they’ll be capped at the original generating capacity whilst waiting for the queues for grid capacity to subside, meaning the UK may not be able to realise the full benefits of repowering until these issues have been solved.
Grid reform recently featured in the Government’s Clean Power Action Plan, citing that NESO and Ofgem will provide a framework through which NESO can work with Transmission Owners (TOs) and Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) to prioritise the projects needed for 2030, as well as maintain a robust pipeline beyond 2030. As with other ongoing policy reform, we’ll be keeping an eye on how this unfolds and contribute to the appropriate public consultations what will hopefully help to accelerate our transition to a cleaner, fairer energy system in the UK.

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Chris Watt Photography_209

It’s not all about the new “stuff”, we also need to consider how to make the most of our aging projects if we’re to meet net zero. 

Mill, baby, mill – Repowering to net zero

✅  Commitment to speeding up grid connections for renewable projects that are ready to go
✅  Promises to build on existing approaches to community benefits within the onshore wind sector as part of a fair and inclusive energy transition.
✅  Streamlining the planning process for critical infrastructure and new projects

The changes in the Action Plan are broadly welcome, however the urgency of the situation must not be underestimated. Only recently, the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO) described the UK’s 2030 clean power target as “ambitious but achievable” if renewables are expanding swiftly and significantly – doubling onshore wind and tripling solar.
Whilst the government’s clean power plan shows promising steps towards accelerating large-scale renewables, it is in danger of overlooking the importance of small to medium sized, local projects. These are the projects that put local communities at the heart of the energy transition. Smaller projects can fit better into the local landscape and generate electricity closer to where it is used, potentially reducing the number of pylons needed nationally.
We also need to make the most of the clean energy capacity that is already available to us by repowering existing projects i.e. replacing older wind turbines with fewer, more modern and efficient ones. For example, the 150m Ambition Community Energy wind turbine that was part funded by Thrive and built in 2023 can generate more than double the power of each single 125m wind turbine at our neighbouring Avonmouth wind farm built in 2014.
As we head into the new year let’s work together to keep the momentum up and push for urgent change at national, regional and local level to accelerate the rollout of the much-needed renewables revolution.

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We share our thoughts on the government's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. 

Let’s not forget smaller, local projects in the “new era of clean electricity”

As well as being our largest project to date, the deal marks another major step in our ambitious growth plans to double generation capacity within the next five years. It is the second project to be funded by Fair Play Clean Energy Ltd, Thrive’s Joint Venture with TopCashback Sustainability, which brings together a combined £80 million in capital to fund new clean energy projects in the UK.
Construction of the proposed 14-turbine site is expected to start in 2025, with commissioning planned by the end of 2026. Once operational, it will be capable of generating up to 149,400 MWh of clean electricity per year, the equivalent of powering 46,100 average UK homes<a href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1">[1]</a>, and delivering 65,300 tonnes of emissions reductions<a href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2">[2]</a>.
The Whitelaw Brae wind project was originally owned by developer, BayWa r.e., with Thrive acquiring the project in December 2024 following the successful completion of a competitive tender in October 2024.
Thrive has a record of delivering community and shared ownership, both at our own sites and by providing funding for community-owned energy projects. Now, we’ve acquired Whitelaw Brae, we aim to facilitate shared ownership at this site with Ripple Energy&#8217;s latest coop.

The wind farm site is located 15 km north of Moffat and 3 km south of Tweedsmuir. It is also near the River Tweed which, as part of the £25 million Destination Tweed initiative, will see the creation of a 113-mile source to sea River Tweed Trail connecting communities and attractions along the length of the river from Moffat to Berwick-upon-Tweed. The project aims to improve the landscape and river habitat and offer a unique experience to locals and visitors alike, expected to be completed across five years.  
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[1] Based on an annual generation of 149GWh and calculated using the most recent statistics from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) showing that UK average domestic household consumption is 3,239kWh per annum <a id="menur1gr" class="fui-Link ___1q1shib f2hkw1w f3rmtva f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1s184ao f1mk8lai fnbmjn9 f1o700av f13mvf36 f1cmlufx f9n3di6 f1ids18y f1tx3yz7 f1deo86v f1eh06m1 f1iescvh fhgqx19 f1olyrje f1p93eir f1nev41a f1h8hb77 f1lqvz6u f10aw75t fsle3fq f17ae5zn" title="https://www.renewableuk.com/energypulse/ukwed/" href="https://www.renewableuk.com/energypulse/ukwed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Link https://www.renewableuk.com/energypulse/ukwed/">https://www.renewableuk.com/energypulse/ukwed/</a>
[1] Calculated using DESNZ’s “all non-renewable fuels” emissions statistic of 437 tonnes of carbon dioxide per GWh of electricity supplied in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (July 2024) <a id="menur1gt" class="fui-Link ___1q1shib f2hkw1w f3rmtva f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1s184ao f1mk8lai fnbmjn9 f1o700av f13mvf36 f1cmlufx f9n3di6 f1ids18y f1tx3yz7 f1deo86v f1eh06m1 f1iescvh fhgqx19 f1olyrje f1p93eir f1nev41a f1h8hb77 f1lqvz6u f10aw75t fsle3fq f17ae5zn" title="https://www.renewableuk.com/energypulse/ukwed/" href="https://www.renewableuk.com/energypulse/ukwed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Link https://www.renewableuk.com/energypulse/ukwed/">https://www.renewableuk.com/energypulse/ukwed/</a>

From funding some of the UK’s first onshore wind farms in the early 1990s to a new 14-turbine site, we’re harnessing the country’s abundant wind resource to deliver clean power to homes and businesses.

We’ve acquired the development rights for our biggest project to date – a 57MW onshore wind farm in Scotland

We know there’s a lot more left to do, but it’s important to celebrate the positives (no matter how small!) so that we start the New Year feeling even more motivated in our mission to accelerate the UK energy transition.   
1. Renewables are about to take over fossil fuels for the first time ever  
At the time of writing, the UK is on track to make a major breakthrough – with renewable energy generation set to overtake fossil fuels for the first full year. According to the think tank, Ember, the country’s naturally abundant wind, solar and hydro resources will generate 37% of the UK’s electricity in 2024 compared to fossil fuels (35%) – this will be the first time that renewables have outperformed fossil fuels consistently across four quarters.  
That might not sound like a lot, but it’s important to recognise how far we’ve come, especially as just three years ago fossil fuels generated 46% of UK electricity and renewables generated 27%. 
2. Government puts net zero at the heart of its plans  
A new Government was elected in July and the party made a number of quick policy announcements, reaffirming its commitment to net zero and recognising the swift action that is needed if the country is to meet its climate targets. 
There were a number of promises made as part of its election manifesto – including the creation of a nationalised energy company (Great British Energy), radical planning reform, more support for local power generation and the promise of a rooftop solar revolution. While we’ll have to wait and see how some of these evolve, there has already been strong progress in some important areas – including the removal of the effective ban on onshore wind and the UK’s biggest Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction to date, with the budget increasing from £1 billion to over £1.5 billion. Over 130 wind, solar and tidal projects secured long term price stability, including our Abergorkie wind farm site in Wales.  
Last week, we also saw the announcement of the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/675bfaa4cfbf84c3b2bcf986/clean-power-2030-action-plan.pdf">Government’s Clean Power 2030 action plan</a>, which outlines how it will achieve the “most ambitious reforms to our energy system in generations”. Key measures include speeding up planning decisions and reducing grid connection times, as well as a focus on ensuring that communities directly benefit from clean energy infrastructure. 
3. We breezed past a new milestone for wind generation 
The UK achieved 30GW of wind capacity this year, following the successful powering of the 434MW Viking wind farm on the Shetland Islands in August. According to RenewableUK, 30GW is enough to meet the annual power needs of 26 million homes and can cut carbon emissions by more than 35 million tonnes a year. 
As one of the first companies to fund UK wind farms in the early 90s, we have long believed in the power of these mighty machines. And while this milestone feels like it’s been a long time coming for us, it’s a huge success for the industry – especially given the fact that it took 26 years to install the first 15GW of wind energy in the UK and that has now been doubled in just seven years. 
It’s proven that onshore wind is one of the cheapest ways to generate electricity today and therefore has a vital role to play in our transition away from fossil fuels. Now we have seen the de facto ban lifted in England, we hope to see many more wind projects making their way through planning and into development, as well as a renewed focus on repowering, which will see older sites that have reached the end of their life replaced with fewer, but more efficient, machines with the capability to generate more clean electricity.   
4. The UK became the first G7 country to fully divest in coal power 
In September, the UK closed its doors on its last coal plant at Ratcliffe-on-Soar &#8211; the first G7 country to completely phase out the use of coal for generating power. Ending over a century of burning coal to generate electricity, we have moved from coal accounting for more than 95% of the UK’s electricity generation to 0% today. In another positive announcement, the government recently confirmed that it will be introducing legislation that will ensure no new coal mining licences will be issued in future. 
5. Thrive kicked off celebrations for thirty years of funding and building clean energy projects
It wouldn’t be a 2024 round up if we didn’t celebrate one of our own significant milestones from this year – our 30th birthday. Since 1994, we’ve been committed to climate action, funding and building new clean energy projects that put people and planet at their heart.  
By working together, we’ve been able to achieve some great things, whether it be enabling the first commercial sized wind farm to transfer into community hands or investing in the UK’s first deep geothermal production plant. In total, we’ve built or funded 42 clean energy projects that have saved over two million tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere. And we’re only just getting started. 2025 looks set to be another exciting year and we look forward to working with you – our Thrive community – to create a better, cleaner future for the generations to come.

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caton winter 2

We look back on some of the renewable energy wins from 2024. 

2024 in review: Reasons to be climate positive this Christmas

Thrive has made a significant investment in Gulliver, which is now nearly 20 years old, to ensure it runs reliably into the future  &#8211; generating clean power for homes and businesses across the UK.  The 2.75MW turbine is capable of generating clean electricity for more than 2,200 average UK homes a year.

The replacement turbine parts fitted during the overhaul are refurbished parts from a windfarm in the Netherlands – a great example of reuse.  The blades and nacelle were thoroughly assessed and tested and are expected to operate efficiently for years to come.
Gulliver’s old blades are currently being repurposed into bicycle shelters in the Netherlands. Other components have been made available for resale or are being broken down for recycling.
Since Thrive invested in the project in 2005, Lowestoft has become a growing hub for renewables. The Orbis Energy Centre has been established next door to Ness Point wind turbine – a flagship focus for the east of England’s renewables network and home to a range of innovative organisations supporting the sector. Lowestoft is also central for servicing the growing number of offshore wind farms in the area. 
In the latest round of Thrive’s Community Benefit Programme which provides energy efficiency grants to community hubs near its projects, Seething and Mundham Village Hall near Ness Point was awarded £980 to install LED lighting. The measures will help the popular community centre reduce its energy bills and carbon footprint.

Works taking place during overhaul of Ness Point wind turbine. 

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The nacelle and blades have been replaced to secure the turbine’s long term future.  

Ness Point wind turbine back in action following successful overhaul

We are committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2030 via the SME climate hub &#8211; a non-profit global initiative that empowers small to medium sized companies to take climate action and build resilient businesses for the future. By reporting on our emissions, we’re able to better understand the sources of them, whilst demonstrating transparency on our journey to net zero.
<a href="https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Thrive-Climate-Report-2023-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thrive’s latest climate report</a> for 2023 highlights key updates on our path to net zero by the end of the decade:
<ul>
<li>Maintained scope 1 and 2 emissions at zero (down from a baseline of 2.9 tCO2e in 2019). *</li>
<li>For the second year running, we reported comprehensive emissions estimates across our seven relevant scope 3 categories, which include all areas relating to the construction and operation of our clean energy projects.</li>
<li>Reduced carbon intensity of business travel by 17% in 2023 compared to 2022.</li>
<li>Calculated avoided emissions (sometimes referred to as scope 4) to illustrate the wider carbon impact of the business.</li>
</ul>
Emission reductions are the emissions ‘avoided’ from the operation of our portfolio of clean energy projects. These serve as a key metric to illustrate the wider positive carbon impact of the business.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8005" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NZ-report-24-graph.png" alt="" width="903" height="405" srcset="https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NZ-report-24-graph.png 903w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NZ-report-24-graph-300x135.png 300w, https://cms-admin.thriverenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NZ-report-24-graph-768x344.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 903px) 100vw, 903px" />
It is important to note that 2022 was a very successful year for project construction and that our reported emissions include the full construction footprint of three new projects. By comparison in 2023, our reported emissions only include the construction of one small rooftop project. Despite this yearly variation in our highest emissions area, it is useful to see how much greater our avoided emissions are in both years.
Our eyes are now fixed on the 2024 reporting year as we continue rolling out more clean energy projects and helping businesses to decarbonise. We are committed to continually reporting our emissions and reviewing our strategy on an annual basis.
*Thrive’s emissions are reported using The Greenhouse Gas protocol framework that splits emissions into three categories:
Scope 1 – Direct emissions from sources that a company owns or controls directly e.g. the gas used for our heating.
Scope 2 – Indirect emissions coming from the energy it purchases and uses e.g. the electricity powering our office.
Scope 3 – Indirect emissions resulting from sources that are not controlled or owned by the company. For example, the resulting emissions from our supply chain or employee commuting and business travel.

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Our positive contribution to reducing UK emissions far outweighs our carbon footprint. But we take responsibility for the emissions we make in the course of our operations.

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