• Swindon & Wiltshire Eco
• Thursday August 13 2026

Triodos Bank UK backs 10MW solar farm with £4m loan

Bristol-based ethical bank Triodos has provided a £4.1 million loan to support Dunmow Solar, a 10MW ground-mounted solar farm near Great Dunmow in Essex.

The project is owned by Fair Play Clean Energy Limited, a joint venture between Thrive Renewables and TopCashback Group Ltd.

The subsidy-free solar farm began exporting electricity in 2025 and is expected to generate approximately 14,500MWh of renewable electricity annually – enough to power more than 4,000 average UK homes – while avoiding around 6,337 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year.

The loan will refinance shareholder capital already invested in the project, enabling it to be redeployed into future renewable energy developments.

Fair Play Clean Energy, which was established in 2024, is investing up to £80 million in wind, solar and other renewable energy projects, helping accelerate the transition to clean energy.

Triodos Bank and Thrive Renewables have worked together on renewable energy finance for over thirty years. Recently, this has included share offers and bond raises through the bank’s capital raising and advisory team, as well as debt finance.

Matthew Clayton, CEO of Thrive Renewables, said: “Dunmow has been an important addition to our growing and diverse portfolio of clean energy projects.

“Through the Fair Play Clean Energy partnership, we’re investing in renewable energy assets that can deliver long-term environmental impact while strengthening the UK’s energy security.”

“Triodos Bank has been a valued partner to Thrive for many years and understands both the opportunities and challenges facing the renewable energy sector. This financing helps us recycle capital into future renewable energy developments, allowing us to continue building the projects needed to accelerate the transition to a cleaner energy system.”

Paola Campos Jimenez, senior relationship manager for energy and project finance at Triodos Bank UK, said: “Dunmow Solar is a strong example of the type of renewable energy project we want to support – a high-quality, subsidy-free asset that is already delivering clean electricity to the grid and helping to reduce carbon emissions.

“By providing long-term finance, we’re helping unlock further investment into new renewable energy infrastructure at a time when additional clean generation capacity is urgently needed across the UK.”

The finance forms part of Triodos Bank UK’s long-standing commitment to renewable energy and its wider vision of supporting an energy system that is clean, reliable and accessible to all.

Recognising the need to accelerate the deployment of renewable generation and channel private capital into bankable projects, the bank has recently increased its financing capacity for individual solar and wind projects above £20 million.

Paola adds: “We’re also seeing growing demand for medium-scale renewable energy projects. That’s why we’ve increased our financing capacity for individual solar and wind projects over £20 million, enabling us to support a broader range of projects that can make a meaningful contribution to the UK’s energy transition.”