LONDON, UK – By 2030, countries across the world will need a significant expansion of renewable energy generation. In Europe alone, the UK needs roughly two and a half times the solar capacity it has today, while Germany is targeting 215GW of installed solar capacity by the end of the decade.
Much of this infrastructure will be built, owned and operated for the long term by companies that retain assets rather than selling them once construction is complete. Elements Green is proud to be one of them, which is why we now describe ourselves as a renewable energy developer and Independent Power Producer (IPP).
We remain a developer. Bringing projects from early-stage site identification through planning, financing and construction is central to what we do. The IPP designation reflects what happens after that: instead of selling the asset on, Elements Green now owns and operates projects throughout their operational life, remaining accountable to local communities throughout the life of each project.
It is also a milestone we have earned. Our team has a 22-year development track record across the UK, Europe and internationally, and we have been building under the Elements Green name since 2022, spending the last four years building a business with real momentum. Becoming an IPP is a natural next step in that story.
“Becoming an IPP is a natural evolution for Elements Green. It means we remain invested in every project we build, for the communities and partners we work with, well beyond construction.” – Rasmus Friis, CEO, Elements Green
What an IPP actually is
An IPP is a company that generates electricity for sale to the grid, to businesses or to households, without being a traditional, publicly regulated utility. In the UK, the model became possible following the Electricity Act 1989, which privatised the Central Electricity Generating Board and opened the market to independent generators for the first time. Before that, electricity generation was the preserve of large, state-linked utilities. The reforms created the conditions for a new kind of energy company: one that builds, owns and operates generation assets independently, competing in a liberalised market.
While early IPPs were largely focused on conventional generation such as gas and coal, the model has become one of the key drivers of the global renewable energy transition, helping finance and deliver solar, wind and energy storage projects at scale. IPPs now own the majority of the world’s operating renewable generation capacity. The principles have not changed significantly since the 1980s. What has changed is the technology being deployed.
Why this matters right now
The UK’s targets require a scale of build that could not be delivered by public utilities alone. The government’s Solar Roadmap, published in June 2025, sets an ambition of 45 to 47GW of solar by 2030, with grid capacity available for up to 57GW if the system needs it, up from around 18GW installed in early 2025. That is roughly two and a half times current capacity in five years. The bulk of that has to come from utility-scale solar, which is typically developed by IPPs and sold to the grid under long-term contracts.
A similar picture is emerging elsewhere in Europe. In Germany, installed solar capacity reached approximately 107.5GW by mid-2025, but the country’s target is 215GW by 2030. In other words, Germany also needs to roughly double its solar capacity within the decade. Across both markets, IPPs will play a critical role in attracting investment and delivering the scale of infrastructure required for the energy transition.
Delivering that scale of renewable energy infrastructure cannot be funded by governments alone. It depends on attracting significant amounts of private and institutional capital into projects that can operate successfully over decades. In the UK alone, more than £100 billion of private investment has been announced into clean energy since July 2024, while Aurora Energy Research estimates that around £105 billion of additional investment will be needed to decarbonise the GB power sector by 2035. IPPs are one of the primary mechanisms through which that capital is deployed into real-world energy infrastructure.
The growth of the IPP model reflects this shift. In the UK, the government’s own count of major power producers – companies with generation portfolios above certain thresholds – increased from just six in 1989 to 56 in 2024. That tracks a market that has evolved from a small number of state-linked utilities into a diverse ecosystem of independent generators, investors and long-term operators. Similar trends can be seen across Europe as countries seek to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy at scale.
What it means for investors
The reason institutional capital is willing to fund IPPs at this scale comes down to the Power Purchase Agreement, or PPA. A PPA is a long-term contract, often running 15 to 25 years, under which the IPP agrees to sell its electricity at an agreed price. That helps create a more predictable and often inflation-linked revenue stream, making renewable energy assets attractive to many pension funds and infrastructure investors.
For Elements Green, becoming an IPP is a statement about what kind of counterparty we are: a company that maintains responsibility for the operational and financial performance of an asset throughout its lifecycle.
What it means for communities
The other side of owning and operating our own assets is that Elements Green stays present for the long term. The people in the communities we work with know who is running the site and who to contact, this year and beyond.
That long-term presence is also what makes meaningful community benefit possible. A developer that remains on site and invested in the local area is better placed to deliver lasting value than one whose relationship with a community ends at the point of handover. That is the model we want, and it is reflected in initiatives like our proposed NG+ community benefit programme at Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park, where local funding is being distributed before the project has even been consented.
UK policy is also moving in this direction. Government has proposed making community benefit funds mandatory for developers of low-carbon infrastructure, including solar, and the solar industry is developing its own Community Benefits Protocol to guide how developers and local communities work together over the long term.
What it means for our team
Becoming an IPP is the clearest sign yet of the momentum and commitment that have built this business over the years. It reflects the values the team has brought to it from the start: doing the work properly, staying accountable, and remaining invested in the projects and communities we are part of long after the construction phase ends.
None of this has happened on its own. It is the direct result of the people who have built Elements Green, project by project. This next chapter is a reflection of their contribution, commitment and expertise.
