FAQ

What is Whitelaw Brae?

Whitelaw Brae is a wind farm under construction in the Scottish Borders, about 15 km north of Moffat. It was set to be Ripple Energy’s fourth co-operative project, with around £50 million believed to have been raised from individual co-operative members.

Ripple’s model lets people jointly own wind and solar farms by joining a co-op. The co-op owns part or all of the project via a Special Purchase Vehicle ( SPV). Members get savings on their electricity bills in return. Some Ripple projects involve shared ownership of the SPV between the co-op and commercial investors. However, the Whitelaw Brae wind farm was instead completely acquired by Thrive Renewables. Ripple began discussions with Thrive on a shared ownership model, but no agreement was reached before Ripple went into administration in March 2025.

While those who bought into Ripple’s earlier projects have been reassured that their money is protected in separate SPVs, members of the Whitelaw Brae project have received no updates, leaving them in the dark about the status of their funds. Issues with the accounts of other Ripple Energy co-ops have increased concerns.

What was Ripple Energy’s promise to Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae) investors?

Members could buy a stake in Ripple Energy Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae) from as little as £25, up to an amount covering 120% of their electricity needs – the more they purchased, the more they could save. Interested parties could make a one-off payment or pay installments. Ripple stated that once the wind farm was operational, each person’s share would be fully insured against damage or malfunction.

However, Whitelaw Brae Farm was bought by Thrive Renewables, and no formal agreement on co-ownership was finalised before Ripple Energy went into administration in March 2025. Ripple Co-op 4 Limited (Registration Number: 4999) is a separate legal entity (a co-operative) and is not in administration. This has left Co-op members unsure whether their funds are held in a Coop 4 bank account or have been absorbed (“co-mingled”) into Ripple’s accounts. So far, neither the Co-op 4 Board nor administrators Begbies Traynor have provided any clarity.

What is the role of Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae)?

Each individual that bought shares in Ripple’s Whitelaw Brae project is a member of Ripple Energy Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae). The role of Co-op 4 was to own all of part of the SPV for the Whitelaw Brae Wind Farm. The Co-op Board, made up of volunteer directors recruited by Ripple, was responsible for acting in members’ best interests. However, since Ripple’s collapse, the Board has remained silent, and some members are believed to have resigned. Ripple representatives also attended Board meetings, but they too have not provided any updates to Co-op 4 members on the status of their funds. 

What is the role of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) in Ripple projects?

Each Ripple Energy renewable energy project (like a wind farm or solar park) has its own company (called an SPV) to hold its assets. Ripple Energy acted as the Managing Agent for each  co-operative, but the SPV directors were the ones who signed contracts and made decisions, unless the decisions were small, in which case Ripple could handle them.

Members of Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae) believe there isn’t an SPV for this project, because no deal has been announced with Thrive Renewables, the owners of Whitelaw Brae. So far, there has been no confirmation whether an SPV exists or not.

What is the role of Ripple Energy with each Coop?

Ripple Energy acted as the managing agent for each of the Co-ops (Graig Fatha, Kirk Hill, Derril Water and Whitelaw Brae) under a Management Services Agreement (MSA).The contents of each Management Services Agreement (MSA) are not publicly available, as they are considered commercially sensitive information belonging to Ripple Energy. Additionally, the board members of each co-op are bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with Ripple. 

However, it is understood that Ripple provided services including:

  • Purchasing of member wattage benefits (shares).
  • Communications from a co-op board to its members .
  • Creation of annual financial Accounts.
  • Calculation of members’ savings based on their share of a project, consolidation of savings from multiple projects and crediting members’ accounts with their energy company.
  • Oversight and management of the construction of the SPV’s energy generating asset (e.g. wind farm or solar farm) from the Co-op’s perspective.

We believe that an MSA is also in place with Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae).

Ripple charged a one-off arrangement fee when each co-op’s shares were purchased along with a small annual management fee, which was to be covered by the revenue from energy generation from the wind farm or solar farm. 

What is the role of Ripple Energy with each SPV?

We understand that Ripple provided some management services to each SPV. Energy generation and equipment maintenance is managed by third-party contractors. 

How many individual Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae) members are affected?

Although exact figures are not currently available to us, estimates suggest that Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae) has around 6,700 individual members that are all affected by the current situation.

What happened to Ripple Energy?

Ripple Energy ceased trading after filing for administration on 17 March 2025, with insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor appointed to manage the process. The administrators have stated they are in “advanced discussions with a number of interested parties” and that Ripple will continue operating during the sale period, with no expected disruption to service. 

Begbies Traynor is now responsible for overseeing Ripple’s assets, though it remains unclear whether the funds raised from individuals for Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae) are being treated as company assets or were transferred to a separate account or to Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), as previously indicated. 

Under the Insolvency Act 1986, administration is a legal process designed to rescue a viable business facing cash flow difficulties or to achieve the best outcome for creditors. The administrators have said they will write to all known creditors with their proposals and have asked them to complete a proof of debt form.

What is the current status of Whitelaw Brae?

Whitelaw Brae Wind farm is under construction: “Plans are progressing to construct the Whitelaw Brae Wind Farm located 15 km north of Moffat and 3 km south of Tweedsmuir in the Scottish Borders… Site preparations are underway for the main construction phase.”(Source) The project is now owned by Thrive who were negotiating with Ripple about Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae)’s potential role.

What is the difference between Ripple Energy and the Whitelaw Brae Ripple Co-operative?

Ripple Energy Ltd and Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae) are two separate legal entities—one is a private company, the other a co-operative. The filing histories of both Ripple Energy Ltd (Company Number: 10565718) and Ripple Co-op 4 Limited (Registration Number: 4999) are publicly available online. Members of Co-op 4 (Whitelaw Brae) contributed to the Co-operative Share Offer for the purpose of buying all or part of Whitelaw Brae Wind Farm Ltd which owns the wind farm. 

Who are the Friends of Whitelaw Brae Co-op and what is their goal?

The group comprises a number of individual members of the Whitelaw Brae Co-op, who each purchased shares via Ripple. Their goal is twofold: to seek clarity on the status of their funds and to agree a path forward that is in the best interests of members, including seeking the return of funds.

What actions can Co-operative members take?

You can sign up to be updated by Friends of Whitelaw Brae via this website. Note that even if you have signed the petition, per GDPR, you need to sign up again for future updates.

  • You should download your files by going to the Ripple energy website, logging in and  going to the  documents page https://rippleenergy.com/members/documents, then clicking View and Save As. We advise Co-operative members to do this urgently, in case the Ripple Energy website is taken down.

What’s the current situation?

March 26th 2025 – Friends of Whitelaw Brae have sent a letter to the Co-op Board and to the Administrators requesting a general meeting with 188 signatories under rule 20.2  of the Co-op Rules. We are currently awaiting a response.

Here are the news articles related to Ripple Energy.

Further background information:

Whitelaw Braw share offer: Full details of the Whitelaw Brae share offer can be found here. 

With thanks to all that contributed to this document.