This FAQ was first prepared on 2nd May 2025, all answers are correct at the time of writing but the Board cannot guarantee that they will be updated in real time. Last updated 17th June 2026.
What has happened?
On 17th March 2025 Ripple Energy Limited. went into administration. This has left a lot of uncertainty for all four Coops that Ripple Energy had raised funds for but most so for us, Ripple Coop 4 Limited, as Whitelaw Brae was not purchased by Ripple Energy. The Board of Directors of Coop 4 are currently in the process of working with the administrators to understand what happened and what the status of our member’s funds in.
Who or what is Ripple Coop 4 Limited?
We are the coop that Ripple Energy had set up to own our share in the Whitelaw Brae project that they were raising funds for. We have about 7000 members that the board of directors represent.
Who or what is 1st Energy?
1st Energy Technologies Limited purchased some of Ripple Energy’s assets, including the rippleenergy.com website and other IT infrastructure as well as the brand. They also appear to have purchased Ripple’s customer data.
The have not purchased any of the other coops, nor have they purchased any rights over the coops or the services that Ripple Energy previously provided.
Contact from them to our members appears to have been made as Ripple Energy customers rather than as Coop 4 members.
The board have reported a possible GDPR breach to the ICO.
Is Ripple Coop 4 Limited in administration?
No.
We are not owned by Ripple Energy Limited and are not in administration. As Ripple Energy Limited held funds for Coop 4, however, we are working with the Administrators to resolve the consequences of Ripple Energy being in administration.
Who owns Whitelaw Brae?
Whitelaw Brae was purchased by Thrive Renewables PLC once Ripple Energy’s option ran out. While Ripple Energy and Thrive had been in discussions for Coop 4 to become a minority investor in the project, this did not materialise. As such, Coop 4 and our members do not currently have any stake in Whitelaw Brae Windfarm Ltd.
Where is our money? How much is lost?
This is not yet clear as the Administrators (of Ripple Energy) are still seeking legal advice on the status of money held by Ripple Energy.
The Board’s opinion is that money raised for Coop 4 / Whitelaw Brae was held in trust and thus is not available for distribution to creditors. It must be either returned to members or paid to Coop 4.
We do not, at this time, know what proportion of our money the Administrators are seeking clarification on, so we do not know and thus cannot comment on how much is available.
For the avoidance of doubt: we are not saying that some money is missing, nor are we saying that it’s all there, we have not been told and won’t until the Administrators are satisfied with their legal advice.
Do I need to fill in the Proof of Debt form for the Administrators?
No. We have agreed with the Administrators (of Ripple Energy) that the Board will submit one Proof of Debt form on behalf of our members.
If you have already submitted a form you do not need to take any further action as the Administrators will reconcile this.
Should I claim under Section 75, make a charge back or similar?
We, as a Board, cannot give financial advice on this one way or the other, however the administrators of Ripple Energy Ltd have suggested that members pursue these avenues and there have been some reports of success with claims through financial institutions. Regardless, the Board are working to ensure that our funds are returned.
Please note that a complete, successful, charge backs may terminate your membership in the coop. Any rejoining would need to be looked at if the project were to go ahead.
Will the Project still be completed?
No, at least not with Coop 4 having any stake in it.
Whitelaw Brae is now owned by Thrive, who will complete the project on their timelines.
If funds are returned to the Coop 4, reopening conversations with Thrive may be an option for the coop to consider investigating but this would need careful consideration by both sides and would not be done without member input.
Coop 4 does not currently have sufficient funds in order to enter any negotiations with Thrive, and any such change to the project would require 75% of members voting to proceed, which the Board believes to be a highly unlikely outcome.
Update 30/07/2025: For the avoidance of doubt, the Board is not pursuing a partnership with Thrive Renewables to complete the Whitelaw Brae project.
If the project doesn’t go ahead, how will I get my money back?
How any funds are returned will need to be worked out once we know what funds are available for return and how we want to continue.
Currently we do not have timelines but are in dialogue with the administrators and reminding them of the urgency of the situation.
Are you updating Companies House and the FCA with new directors for co-op 4?
Not at this point. We contacted the FCA about our new directors but unlike Companies House we do not need to contact them until we file our annual return (AR30). As such, the data on the FCA will be outdated until this is due.
Is attendance at the court hearing possible, recommended, or helpful (depending on location, etc.)?
We expect the preliminary hearing will be via written submissions only. For the substantive hearing, we will be represented by Counsel and there is no need for members to attend.
Do we recover our legal costs in the event that we recover funds from the administrators, or does each side incur their own costs with no recourse?
We will not recover legal costs from the administrators as a result of recovering funds via the administrative process. However, the Board believe that engaging with the legal process (and thus incurring costs) is necessary in order to secure the maximum possible return for our members.
Can directors at Ripple Energy face any legal action personally if it is found that they mixed money?
The Administrator has a role in reporting on the conduct of directors of insolvent companies to the Insolvency Service and, in certain circumstances, directors can face legal consequences.
Is it possible to reconcile the entries in Xero for “sales” (i.e., our investments) against the known membership?
Not at present, due to the way money was transferred between Ripple Energy’s account and the Coop – we do not have transaction-level data relating to members’ payment into the Coop.
My invoicing from Ripple was all dated 19/04/24 even though I was paying by instalment. Do our accounts show cash in, or invoices?
As we do not have appropriate transaction-level data, it is not currently possible to answer this question.
I paid by credit card in instalments and haven’t yet started the Section 75 process. Do I need to? If the court hearing is successful, I should receive all or part of the monies paid.
We recommend that if you wish to use the Section 75 or chargeback process you should do so as soon as possible. The Board will seek to recover the maximum amount of funds on our members’ behalf, but this may be less than you paid in.
Will the administrators ever make contact with the members?
The Coop Board have agreed with the Administrator that on most matters they should correspond with us on behalf of the membership as a whole. This reduces the time spent dealing with correspondence and therefore reduces costs to the Estate. However, you can access copies of the Administrators’ reports via Companies House and we will continue to highlight when these become available.
In general, how does our position compare with the other creditors? Are we the major losers?
Coop4 is, by some distance, the largest creditor of Ripple Energy according to the Administrator’s reports.
Is the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) sympathetic to the COOP4 / Directors’ situation?
The FCA have engaged positively with us and supported a pragmatic approach to the submission of our accounts, for which we are grateful. However, they have reminded the Directors of their statutory responsibilities and still expect us to comply with these.
What is the long-term purpose?
The Board’s objective is to secure and return the maximum possible level of funds to our members.
I have a general question that hasn’t been answered or need further clarification?
Please get in touch using the form below and we’ll update the FAQs as soon as possible.
