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The UK green energy scene has surged recently. From London’s battery and software scaleups to Scotland’s offshore wind and Wales’ community energy projects, startups across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are pushing the country toward net zero. These 20 companies are leading with strong funding, growing teams, and real milestones. Most information comes from recent company announcements and industry reports.
Top 20 Green Energy Startups in UK
- Octopus Energy
- Location: London
- Founded: 2015
- Funding: nearly £1.5–2.0 billion in recent rounds
- Jobs: thousands across UK operations
- Key team: leadership with deep experience in clean energy markets
- Core focus: retail green energy supply, smart meter infrastructure, distributed energy resources
- Recent milestone: launching large scale wind energy projects with international partners and expanding its generation portfolio
- OVO Energy
- Location: Bristol, UK-wide operations
- Founded: 2009
- Funding: tens of millions in growth capital plus strategic investment
- Jobs: several thousand
- Key team: leadership with past start-ups and utility experience
- Core focus: home energy services, green tariffs, decarbonisation programs via data
- Recent milestone: expanded programmes for grid flexibility and renewables integration
- Moixa
- Location: London / Guildford
- Founded: 2006
- Funding: £20-30 million in aggregate from investors and grant programmes
- Jobs: between 50 and 200
- Key team: experts in energy storage and software systems
- Core focus: home battery systems, virtual power plant software, grid balancing
- Recent milestone: securing supplier partnerships for grid services pilots
- Connected Energy
- Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
- Founded: 2010
- Funding: over £30 million including recent project finance
- Jobs: estimated 50-200
- Key team: strong technical leadership in battery reuse
- Core focus: using retired electric vehicle batteries for energy storage systems
- Recent milestone: deploying commercial second-life battery projects in collaboration with utilities
- Pavegen
- Location: London
- Founded: 2009
- Funding: around £9 million in recent funding rounds
- Jobs: about 30
- Key team: specialists in sustainable urban infrastructure
- Core focus: floor tiles that generate electricity from footsteps in high-traffic areas
- Recent milestone: new installations in public transport hubs and urban spaces expanding impact
- Highview Power
- Location: UK engineering and project operations
- Founded: 2005
- Funding: project and infrastructure financing totalling tens to hundreds of millions
- Jobs: 100-500 depending on project scale
- Key team: experts in thermal and cryogenic storage technologies
- Core focus: long-duration energy storage, especially liquid air energy storage
- Recent milestone: commercial agreements for large-scale storage facilities
- Storelectric
- Location: UK
- Founded: mid-2010s
- Funding: multi-million pounds in development funding
- Jobs: under 100
- Key team: engineers and energy specialists
- Core focus: pumped hydro storage and other large scale grid balancing solutions
- Recent milestone: progressing through planning and regulatory approvals for major projects
- Gridserve
- Location: England
- Founded: 2017
- Funding: large infrastructure investment for EV network build-out
- Jobs: hundreds in operations and development
- Key team: leadership from transport and energy sectors
- Core focus: EV charging infrastructure, solar + storage forecourts
- Recent milestone: opening major charging hubs and securing government support
- Ceres Power
- Location: Horsham, England
- Founded: 2001
- Funding: public market and institutional backing
- Jobs: hundreds in R&D and production
- Key team: fuel cell technologists and industrial partners
- Core focus: fuel cell technology and hydrogen applications for stable distributed power
- Recent milestone: entering new licensing agreements and scaling manufacturing
- Orbital Marine Power
- Location: Orkney, Scotland
- Founded: 2007
- Funding: multi-million project grants and investment rounds
- Jobs: small engineering plus seasonal/project hires
- Key team: marine engineers and renewable energy experts
- Core focus: tidal turbine energy generation
- Recent milestone: successful deployment of prototype tidal turbines in Scottish waters
- Carbon Clean
- Location: UK
- Founded: 2009
- Funding: tens of millions from venture capital and industry contracts
- Jobs: 100-300
- Key team: specialists in chemical engineering and industrial emissions removal
- Core focus: industrial scale carbon capture systems
- Recent milestone: securing contracts for capturing emissions from multiple plants internationally
- Zenobē Energy
- Location: UK
- Founded: 2019
- Funding: large scale infrastructure funding for storage and fleet charging
- Jobs: hundreds across projects and operations
- Key team: experts in EV charging, storage and grid services
- Core focus: battery storage and EV fleet charging solutions
- Recent milestone: delivering several large-scale battery storage sites and fleet charging contracts
- ITM Power
- Location: Sheffield, England
- Founded: early 2000s
- Funding: public and private investment for electrolyser production
- Jobs: several hundreds
- Key team: industrial scale hydrogen technologists
- Core focus: electrolysers for green hydrogen production
- Recent milestone: ramping up factory capacity and fulfilling large orders
- Open Energi
- Location: UK
- Founded: in the 2000s
- Funding: from strategic partners and government grants
- Jobs: dozens to low hundreds
- Key team: experts in software, demand flexibility and grid-optimisation
- Core focus: demand response and flexibility aggregation for energy networks
- Recent milestone: participation in national grid flexibility markets and contracts with energy suppliers
- Drift Energy
- Location: London, UK
- Founded: around 2018-2020
- Funding: seed to early growth rounds
- Jobs: approximately 20-50
- Key team: AI and energy engineers
- Core focus: predictive energy trading, optimization, low-carbon transition software
- Recent milestone: pilots with utilities and corporate clients
- Orbital / Marine & Wave Energy Spinouts
- Location: Scottish coast and UK coastal tech hubs
- Founded: between 2005-2015 depending on spinout
- Funding: mix of public project grants and private investment
- Jobs: small engineering teams
- Key team: ocean engineers, marine tech experts
- Core focus: tidal turbines, wave energy, floating platforms
- Recent milestone: securing funding for demonstration sites and moving toward commercial readiness
- Community Energy Projects (Wales & Northern Ireland)
- Location: Wales / Northern Ireland
- Founded: various over past 5-10 years
- Funding: grants, local investment, community bonds
- Jobs: small teams (often under 50)
- Key team: local leaders, energy engineers, non-profit project managers
- Core focus: rooftop solar, microgrids, community storage, small scale green hydrogen pilots
- Recent milestone: local authority partnerships and rollout of new community solar schemes
- Local Flexibility & Grid Balancing Startups
- Location: UK regions (England / Scotland)
- Founded: mid-2010s onward
- Funding: strategic / grant funding plus early-stage VC
- Jobs: tens of staff plus contractors
- Key team: software, energy systems experts
- Core focus: aggregating demand response, grid balancing, energy forecasting
- Recent milestone: commercial contracts with grid operators, pilots to balance peak demand
- Storage & Long Duration Energy Storage Innovators
- Location: UK (England / Scotland)
- Founded: 2010s
- Funding: infrastructure and project scale funding (multi-£10M)
- Jobs: project engineers and operational teams
- Key team: storage technologists and project developers
- Core focus: pumped hydro, liquid air, battery storage
- Recent milestone: securing land / planning permission for large storage projects
- Hydrogen & Carbon Removal Early-Stage Innovators
- Location: UK (across England, Wales, Northern Ireland)
- Founded: early 2020s
- Funding: seed / early growth, plus public grants
- Jobs: small teams under 100-150
- Key team: climate tech founders, chemical / energy engineers
- Core focus: green hydrogen, carbon capture, direct air capture, industrial emissions abatement
- Recent milestone: pilot plants, collaboration with universities, initial contracts
Takeaways
- Funding has trended upward especially for energy storage, hydrogen and grid flexibility
- Jobs are growing fastest in regions with strong industrial or marine renewable resources such as Scotland and coastal Wales
- Regional variation matters: England leads in software, consumer energy; Scotland in offshore wind & marine; Wales and Northern Ireland in community energy and pilot scale hydrogen
- Investors are focusing on startups that demonstrate commercial scalability, regulatory pathway clarity and real measurable impact
The Top 20 Green Energy Startups in UK are more than just innovative companies they are the driving force behind the nation’s transition to net zero. From offshore wind and solar pioneers to battery storage leaders and hydrogen innovators, these startups are creating thousands of jobs, attracting billions in investment, and delivering cutting-edge technology that strengthens the UK’s position as a global clean energy hub.
From offshore wind and hydrogen innovations to energy storage and community-led projects, each startup plays a unique role in creating a resilient, low-carbon energy system. This rapid growth aligns with the UK Government’s Net Zero Strategy, proving how innovation and policy together can accelerate the green transition.
Follow beststartup.co.uk for information on startups in England, Scotland and other UK locations. Stay tuned for updates on technology advances, investment trends and green energy information.
