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

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

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

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From South Cornwall to the Orkneys, from onshore wind and solar to geothermal, our diverse portfolio of clean energy projects spans the whole UK. You can see our operational projects and those in development on the map.

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In 2022, Thrive provided £4 million funding to Ambition Community Energy (ACE) for England’s largest 100% community-owned onshore wind turbine to be built close to Lawrence Weston, Bristol. The idea for a community-owned wind turbine was first raised in 2016 by a local resident and member of ACE (part of local charity Ambition Lawrence Weston). Bristol City Council’s Energy Services Team agreed to help them identify suitable council land and the planning application received support from residents, local communities and local councillors. Planning officers recommended a rejection of the scheme, but Bristol City Council’s planning committee voted unanimously in its favour. Despite this, the project still had to be submitted to the Secretary of State for final approval.
Thrive’s innovative funding enabled Ambition Community Energy (ACE) to get the project into construction after years of tireless planning work. Now in operation since 2023, the 150 metre high turbine generates enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of Lawrence Weston’s domestic use and is estimated to save over 120,000 tonnes in carbon emissions over its lifetime. Providing a new revenue stream for the local community in Lawrence Weston, profits from electricity sales will be reinvested back into the area, 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.
The project received early stage funding from the Urban Community Energy Fund, Bristol Community Energy Fund, Bristol and Bath Regional Capital and the West of England Combined Authority (European Regional Development Funding) and a number of private individuals.

Project summary

A record-breaking community wind project in our home city of Bristol.

Constructing England's largest onshore wind turbine with Ambition Community Energy

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Thrive ACE Turbine 09.02.23 lower res-61

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We worked with the local community to fund the construction of England’s largest, 100% community-owned, onshore wind turbine in our home city of Bristol.

Ambition Community Energy wind turbine

Under Construction

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Guardian group shot ACE

At the same time Auchtygills was being built, we developed a neighbouring turbine just around the corner. Both projects in Strichen have been exporting renewable electricity to the grid since 2016. As well as helping to accelerate the roll out of renewables in the UK, the projects have a positive social impact locally. At the start of their operational life, Auchtygills and Clayfords made a combined one off community benefit payment towards local council energy efficiency improvements and educational and art projects at the Mintlaw Academy.
In 2022, as part of our Community Benefit Programme, we provided Strichen Playgroup with funding to install double glazing so that they could improve the warmth and energy efficiency of their space.

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One of two turbines generating clean power from Scottish farmland.

Auchtygills wind turbine

Live stats

This 8.2MW wind farm is located in the grounds of Wessex Water’s waste water treatment plant adjacent to one of Europe’s largest dock areas with uninterrupted winds and great transport links. Since the site became operational in 2013, we’ve hosted five open days, welcoming over 1,700 people to come and see the turbines up close. As well as multiple open days, we’ve hosted six educational visits for students from primary schools all the way up to masters degree level.
In 2024, we hosted a green careers insight day on site for a group of <a href="/news/2024/02/shining-a-light-on-green-careers-for-under-represented-young-people/">young people from Babbasa</a>, a social enterprise that inspires and supports under-represented young people to pursue their ambitions.

From open days to MP visits and more, have a look at some of our Avonmouth highlights from over the years.

Open day 2022

Public turbine tour

Local community enjoying our wind farm game at our open day

Hosting the interactive climate show by ExplorerDome at our open day

University of Oxford students on a site visit

University of Oxford student visit

Discussing the power of onshore wind at our last open day

Welcoming Bristol social enterprise, Babbasa, to Avonmouth

Babbasa members on-site learning about renewables

Enjoying an ice cream at our open day

Image gallery

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Thrive Renewables

Four wind turbines just a hop, skip and a jump from our head office in Bristol. 

Avonmouth wind farm

The 1.0MW project consists of two turbines fed via a pipeline which creates water pressure to drive the turbines. After a productive 25 years supplying clean, homegrown power to the grid, in 2024 the operational life of Beochlich was extended for a further 25 years.
Through our nationwide community benefit programme, we have supported work to return the nearby Bridge of Orchy village hall to use. Our funding has paid for energy saving measures to help the hall continue operating as a hub for the local community and walkers on the West Highland Way.

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Beochlich close up

Located in one of the best places for small scale hydro-electric generation in the country – Loch Awe, Argyll. 

Beochlich hydro electric project

Thrive invested in Boardinghouse to fill a funding gap so that the project could be built whilst keeping the developer and landowner involved. Today Thrive has a 75% stake in the wind farm which helps to sustainably power over 7,000 average UK homes a year.
Through our Community Benefit Programme, in 2023 we awarded funding to the local St Peter’s Church that hosts a wide range of community groups from the area. Thrive’s funding enabled the church to install LED lighting to improve its energy efficiency.

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A five turbine wind farm powered by strong local winds in the Cambridgeshire Fens.

Boardinghouse wind farm

Caton Moor is located in an area of open access moorland in Lancashire. After investing in the project, we immediately undertook a “repowering” exercise to replace 10 of the existing turbines with eight more modern and efficient machines to produce seven times the amount of clean electricity. At the same time, we helped fund the construction of a small wind turbine at the local Quernmore Primary School. We often welcome schools and other groups onto the site to learn about renewables and wind energy.
In 2007, we held our AGM at The Victoria Institute in Caton and returned to the same venue in 2014 to host an industry event, giving local planning officers the chance to visit an operational wind farm. Since then, The Victoria Institute has been successful in an application to our nationwide Community Benefit Programme to improve the energy performance of their building with better insulation and draught-proofing. More recently, we awarded energy efficiency grants to Halton Community Centre which is a thriving hub for local activity groups.

Wind energy will help power the transition to a net zero emissions future and deliver economic growth. This film celebrates the difference wind power has made to a rural community.

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Wind turbine NO LOGO

Celebrating Wind Power at Caton Moor

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Chris Watt Photography_427

Thrive’s repowering exercise increased output at the site sevenfold to 47 million units of electricity a year.

Caton Moor wind farm

Thrive acquired the Chapelton wind farm site in 2019. The site near Girvan in South Ayrshire, Scotland has land and planning rights for three turbines with a capacity of around 2.7MW. The electricity generated is expected to supply a local business through a ‘direct wire’ model with surplus exported to the grid. The project is currently in the final stages of development and design with initial groundworks complete.

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Once operational the project will provide a local business in South Ayrshire with clean electricity.

Chapelton wind farm

Clayfords is one of two wind turbines located close to the small village of Strichen, Aberdeenshire. Auchtygills and Clayfords both started generating clean electricity in 2016 and together made a combined community benefit payment to the local council. The funds were used to carry out energy efficiency and environmental improvements to housing stock in the area, as well as contributing to educational and art projects through the Mintlaw Academy.
In 2022, we helped Strichen Playgroup install double glazing through our Community Benefit Programme. Our funding has enabled them to create a warmer, more energy efficient space.

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Clayfords combines its impact with the Auchtygills wind turbine just around the corner.

Clayfords wind turbine

Land once used to operate a polluting fossil fuel site is now home to three wind turbines which we co-own and operate alongside GreenPower. The project was initiated by a family consortium who sold it to us in 2016. The wind farm was officially opened in 2018 by Alison Johnstone MSP at an open day for local residents to see the turbines up close.
Lying next to the wind farm is 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.

A collection of images from our events at Drumduff, from open days to school trips to nearby Blawhorn Moss.

Celebrating the opening of the wind farm with the local community

Local school children visting Blawhorn Moss National Nature Reserve

We have helped to fund the extension of the boardwalk at Blawhorn Moss

One of the turbines

Drumduff wind farm

Start of construction

Construction on Drumduff starts

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DC26

Located on the site of a disused coal mine, Drumduff is a symbol of Scotland’s transition to clean, modern power.

Our Dunfermline turbine was developed in association with energy technology provider, TechnipFMC, and is hosted at the Pitreavie Business Park in Dunfermline. The on-site generation provides renewable electricity for their round-the clock operations, helping the business manage their energy costs. Any additional electricity that is not used by the business is fed to the local grid to meet demand elsewhere.
Via our community benefit programme, we’ve helped local youth centre, Heart and Sound, improve the energy efficiency of their space. Their organisation provides opportunities for young people to learn and experience a range of creative media such as film and sound recording. Thrive’s community benefit funding has enabled them to make a number of energy efficiency improvements, including LED lighting, insulation and energy saving hot water points. In 2019 we were pleased to award further funding to a second community group in the area – Alloa Rugby Football Club – enabling them to install modern, more efficient windows.

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dun sunset - credit scott maclean

1.5MW turbine supplies a local employer in Dunfermline with clean, homegrown power.

Dunfermline wind farm

Together with commercial and industrial renewables developer, Olympus Power we’re connecting businesses to clean, homegrown power. This project is one of two direct wire solar projects we have delivered in Birmingham with Olympus.
The second being a 1MW solar PV project for a manufacturing company in the South East of the city. Installing solar panels on the properties of these businesses connects them to a cleaner, cheaper energy source. As well as reducing the carbon footprint of the business, direct wire renewables play a critical role in accelerating the UK’s clean energy transition.

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Rooftop solar TR Olympus Power

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On-site solar array helping to power a business with clean, green energy.

East Birmingham solar rooftop

Through on-site renewables, we empower businesses to take an active role in the clean energy transition. Our 1MW solar project in South East Birmingham is one of two direct wire projects we&#8217;ve delivered together with Olympus Power. Installing solar panels on their property gives the business access to clean, cheaper power whilst accelerating the UK’s net zero transition. The rooftop solar PV panels at this particular site will be used to generate around one third of the company’s total electricity needs with any surplus exported to the local electricity grid.

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On-site solar PV project providing a manufacturing company with long-term renewable power.

Thrive is providing £75 million in funding to industrial and commercial solar experts, Eden Sustainable to help deliver a growing portfolio of direct wire solar projects. With the first projects underway, we’re aiming to fund up to 75MW of new rooftop and ground mount solar in total. In addition to supporting Eden’s development portfolio, Thrive has invested a further £1.5 million to fund an operational portfolio of 14 rooftop solar assets on Oasis Community Learning buildings, which will save an estimated £3 million and 8,000 tonnes of carbon emissions in total.

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We’re partnering with Eden to accelerate the roll out of direct wire solar projects for schools and businesses across the UK.

Eden Sustainable portfolio

We are proud to work collaboratively with partners to grow the availability of clean energy and increase our combined impact. When Ethical Power got in touch with us looking for additional capital to fund its share of a healthy pipeline of large scale ground mount solar and battery storage sites, we agreed on a £20 million loan facility. Thrive’s capital will be used to fund the construction of 178MW of new clean energy capacity across the UK. The first stage of funding is being used for four solar PV projects in England and Scotland (128MW in total), with one currently in construction. Ethical Power is the principal engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor on these projects, which enables optimal design, streamlined delivery and the most effective use of the resources from development to operation.

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Ethical Power project

We’re providing the business with a loan of up to £20 million to help fund part of its growing renewable pipeline. 

Ethical Power portfolio

Based on the Airfield Industrial Estate on the outskirts of Eye in Mid-Suffolk, this 5MW wind project provides clean electricity to a big local employer, the Roy Humphrey Group, who were eager to better manage their energy costs and support renewable energy generation in the process. The project also makes an annual contribution to Mid-Suffolk District Council which is distributed to worthwhile community initiatives. Following the construction of the two Thrive turbines in 2013, another developer built a further two turbines nearby a year later, highlighting the excellent wind resource in the area.
Through our Community Benefit Programme, we are pleased to have helped a number of thriving community hubs in the area improve their energy efficiency. One of these spaces is Debenham Shed, which aims to improve mental health for retired men and women who may otherwise struggle with loneliness or isolation, by providing workshop facilities with tools and materials for people to connect, converse and create. Debenham Shed applied for our Community Benefit Programme in 2023 so that they could improve heating and insulation in order to continue running the workshop safely and comfortably throughout the winter.

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5MW wind project providing clean power to a family-run, local employer in Suffolk.

Eye wind farm

Feeder Road battery stores electricity when energy is abundant and exceeding demand and exports it back to the grid during peak usage times. This site had originally been proposed for a diesel-fuelled Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) plant. However the local community, led by Bristol Energy Co-operative (BEC) and Residents Against Dirty Energy (RADE) successfully fought against the plan resulting in developers proposing a battery storage project as an alternative. In recognition of the community effort to support the project, we have been able to offer local residents the opportunity to own a stake in it through shared ownership with BEC. We are proud to be the first commercial owner in the UK to offer shared ownership in a standalone battery project. The project won the Collaboration in Community Energy Award at the 2023 Community Energy Awards.
Our team has also developed a landscape plan to help protect and enhance the biodiversity at the site. This includes installing a number of bird, bat and invertebrate boxes, as well as planting trees, hedgerows, species rich grassland, shade scrub and native ferns that will strengthen local habitat corridors and provide wildlife with food, nectar and pollen.

Project Summary

Images from our Feeder Road battery site in Bristol, from construction through to operation.

Some of the Thrive team on site

Biodiversity measures at Feeder Road 

20MW battery at Feeder Road

Installing insect hotels as part of our biodiversity measures

Some of Thrive's shareholders visit Feeder Road following AGM

Hedgehog house

Insect hotel

Construction of the battery site progresses

Feeder Road construction

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THRIVE FRportraits-88

Award winning 20MW battery project located on Feeder Road in Bristol. 

Feeder Road battery storage

Thrive believes that bringing together investment, invention and intention has remarkable benefits. We share knowledge, insights and opportunities so that everyone involved in clean energy can grow and prosper. In 2024, we invested £1 million into two 500KW community-owned wind turbines in Gloucestershire so that the project could remain in community hands. The refinancing loan along with a loan from Energy Prospects Co-operative will enable community benefit society, Resilient Energy Forest of Dean (REFD), to retain ownership of the project.
As well as providing clean electricity to the grid, funding from revenues generated will continue to support local community projects in the Forest of Dean. So far, a wide range of local community buildings and schools have benefitted as a result.

Two west country wind turbines owned by the local community.

Forest of Dean wind farm

The first wind farm we invested in is located on the site of a disused airfield adjacent to HMP Haverigg in Cumbria. Another wind farm neighbours the project – testament to the fantastic wind resource in the area. Collaborating with Baywind Energy Co-operative on this project helped to inspire awareness of renewables at a community level, providing an opportunity for local ownership in the first half of the project’s life. In 2020, with the support of the local council and community, planning permission was granted for the project to continue operating until 2032.
Nearby, our Community Benefit Programme has awarded grants to the local Millom Baptist Church and Kirksanton Village Hall. The funding has enabled these pivotal community hubs to improve their energy efficiency by draught-proofing and increasing insulation.

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Where it all began – Thrive’s first wind farm built in 1998 on an old airfield.

Haverigg II wind farm

We’ve invested £4 million in Attix Community Interest Company (CIC) to enable them to construct a 2.5MW community-owned turbine just outside Kilbirnie in North Ayrshire. Construction is underway and expected to be completed by the end of 2024. Once built, it will be the first 100% community-owned onshore wind turbine in Scotland to operate commercially, without the benefit of government price support mechanisms.
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.

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Kilbirnie

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Scotland’s first subsidy free, 100% community-owned onshore wind turbine.

Kilbirnie wind turbine

Thrive’s March turbine is based on-site at Greenvale AP – the UK’s largest supplier of organic potatoes. By supplying clean electricity to the factory, our wind turbine helps Greenvale manage their energy demand in a more sustainable and cost-effective way – so they can continue providing local jobs and delivering spuds to the nation. They’ve got some great neighbours too – our Boardinghouse and Ransonmoor wind farms are just a stone’s throw away. Thanks to the flat, level land of the Cambridgeshire Fens it’s a great spot for wind resource.

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Cambridgeshire turbine helping to supply the nation with spuds.

March (Floods Ferry Road) wind turbine

When built in 2005, Ness Point was the largest onshore wind turbine in the UK, earning it the nickname “Gulliver” by locals in Lowestoft. Since we invested in the project, the Orbis Energy Centre has been established next door &#8211; a flagship focus for the east of England&#8217;s renewables network and home to a range of innovative organisations supporting the sector. Lowestoft is also a hub for servicing the growing number of offshore wind farms in the area. In 2022, Wrentham Village Hall near Ness Point made a successful application to our Community Benefit Programme to install new, energy efficient lighting in their meeting room and store room.

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Ness point1

Positioned on the most Easterly point of England, Ness Point is powered by North Sea winds.

Ness Point wind turbine

Neighbouring our Boardinghouse and March wind farms, Ransonmoor is located on land that continues to be farmed for crops like wheat and mustard seed. Our investment in the project included a commitment from the developer to deploy capital raised from the project into a new wind farm nearby – Boardinghouse, which Thrive owns a majority stake in. We were delighted to welcome over 200 visitors to our family open day at Ransonmoor in 2016, a chance for locals to learn more about the site and have a peek inside the turbine door!

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10MW wind farm in the Fens of Cambridgeshire.

Ransonmoor wind farm

Burgar Hill on Orkney was chosen as a test bed for onshore wind turbines in the 1980s as one of the best sites for wind generation in Europe. To harness the abundant wind resource, we chose a Class I turbine which is specifically designed to withstand and operate in consistently high and turbulent winds. The name &#8220;Sigurd&#8221; is that of a legendary hero from the ancient Norse stories which are renowned on the islands.
After 22 incredibly productive years the blades on Sigurd reached end of life in 2023, having generated over 88GWh of clean electricity and travelled more than 8 million miles. The old blades have been replaced so that Sigurd can continue generating clean electricity and we are working with ReBlade to repurpose the used blades into useful items like bike shelters and EV charging stations. Thrive is one of the first UK companies to decommission wind turbine blades with circular economy principles.

Repurposing the old blades from our Sigurd wind farm.

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A long established turbine in one of the windiest spots in the UK.

Sigurd wind turbine

In 2020, we invested £3 million in United Downs Geothermal Ltd – the UK’s first geothermal electricity generation plant based in Cornwall. In March 2023, we followed this up with a further £2.8 million investment alongside co-investors, with the funding being used to complete construction of the project by the end of 2024. Site operator – Geothermal Engineering Limited (GEL) – predicts United Downs will deliver 2MWe of baseload electricity once operational, plus additional zero carbon heat. The project consists of two wells, drilled at different depths into hot rocks found deep beneath the surface. The production well is 5.1km deep, the deepest well in the UK and almost four times the height of Ben Nevis. 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 UK lithium has the potential to fulfil a significant portion of the UK’s lithium needs, helping to support the growing EV industry as we transition to net zero.