This posted yesterday regarding DW
I’m one of the DW Board members and can confirm that there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to ensure the solar farm is completed in line with schedule. As at the time of writing the demise of Ripple hasn’t really added to any project delays - work has continued on site without any disruption and we shouldn’t be too far away from getting that done.
Unfortunately the Board are all in full time work as well as having one hand tied behind their backs in terms of having access to the admin tools that Ripple had available so please bear with us in the short term.[/i]
Ripple energy "strike off"
Re: Ripple energy "strike off"
This was emailed yesterday. I thought it told me nothing, however, there is one thing I have noticed:
Thomas is a member of Ripple Coop 4, formerly the Whitelaw Brae project.
Formerly??
Dear Ripple Coop 4 Member,
We are writing to introduce ourselves as your new Board of Directors for Ripple Coop 4 Limited.
We apologise that it has taken some time to contact you since the news that Ripple Energy Limited ceased trading; there have been a number of logistical challenges to obtaining member contact information. We are now in a position to communicate with our members and will look to keep you updated on a regular basis.
We recommend you add this email address to your ‘safe senders’ list to ensure that you receive our updates.
Board of Directors
The Directors of the Coop are volunteers and do not receive any payment for their services. The Board needs to have a minimum of three Directors in order to operate, and following the resignation of two Directors in recent weeks, Tom, Klaus, and Sam have recently been co-opted to join Ursula on the Board.
Sam Bayley, Chair
Sam is a senior leader in higher education with extensive experience in operations and planning roles. He has served on numerous boards as a governor or trustee and acts as a volunteer management consultant to small- and medium-sized charities.
Sam is a member of the Derril Water Coop as well as Coop 4.
Klaus Dudas, Secretary
Klaus is a senior software architect working for a mutual in the telecoms industry. He has a strong interest in renewable energy and enjoys applying his technical expertise to support sustainable initiatives. He has also been a company secretary and a general election agent.
Klaus is a member of all four Ripple Coops.
Thomas Prior
Thomas is a senior manager in IT with a background in large scale virtual desktop planning, deployment and support operations for large enterprises. He volunteered as a Scout Leader in multiple groups over 8 years and assisted in their respective governance structures.
Thomas is a member of Ripple Coop 4, formerly the Whitelaw Brae project.
Ursula Stevenson
Ursula has 25 years experience in environmental consultancy. Her experience includes environmental assessment and management, including construction of infrastructure projects. She is an active committee member for a professional institute and trustee of two local charities.
Ursula was one of the original Coop 4 Directors.
Latest Update
Ripple Energy Ltd ceased trading on 17th March 2025 and is currently in administration, being overseen by Begbies Traynor LLP. Begbies Traynor have set up a dedicated help page, which can be found at https://www.begbies-traynorgroup.com/ri ... gy-limited.
The Board believes that funds invested by members into the Ripple Coop 4 should have been held in a ring-fenced client account. We have not yet been able to confirm whether this is the case. Begbies Traynor advise that they are still reviewing the situation but have so far offered minimal engagement to the Coop 4 Board.
We note there has been speculation that Coop 4 have entered into partnerships with third parties. No such agreements have been made by the Coop 4 Board.
At this point in time, the Board does not have access to any operating funds and as such are trying to keep all expenditure to an absolute minimum.
Notice of a General Meeting
We have received a request from members for a General Meeting. In accordance with the Society’s rules, this will be held on Saturday 3 May 2025, at 15:00.
The meeting will be held via an online platform. We are currently considering the logistical arrangements and will be in touch with further details in due course.
Data Privacy
We have asked the Administrator for assurances that personal data of members had not been sold to 1st Energy as part of the asset sale referenced on their website, as this would not be allowed under the terms of our Management Services Agreement nor your Customer Agreement. We have not yet received such assurances and we have been unable to confirm whether any data breach has occurred.
As data controllers, we are required to apply the precautionary principle to looking after your data under GDPR. As such, we notified the Information Commissioner’s Office (https://ico.org.uk/) of a potential breach on 17 April and informed the Administrator that we have taken this action. The Administrator has confirmed that they will investigate promptly. We have also asked 1st Energy to destroy any customer data that may have been transferred to them unlawfully.
We have asked the Administrator to transfer to the Coop any data on Coop 4 members they are currently storing under the Management Services Agreement.
We will advise members of any further developments when we know more.
Next Steps
The Board will meet regularly and we will continue to update Coop 4 members via email. We will continue correspondence with the Administrators and to explore the options open to us to protect our members’ interests.
We are collating information, such as historic Coop 4 Board minutes, and our ambition is to share these with members as transparently as possible. We will let you know when this information is available.
Contacting the Board
The Board is working hard to get answers to the questions we know that members have, and to find a resolution to the current position. As we are volunteers, with our own full-time jobs, we appreciate your patience and would kindly ask that you only contact us if absolutely necessary on ********.
We will be in touch soon with a further update.
With best wishes,
Ursula, Tom, Klaus & Sam
Board of Directors - Ripple Coop 4 Limited
Thomas is a member of Ripple Coop 4, formerly the Whitelaw Brae project.
Formerly??
Dear Ripple Coop 4 Member,
We are writing to introduce ourselves as your new Board of Directors for Ripple Coop 4 Limited.
We apologise that it has taken some time to contact you since the news that Ripple Energy Limited ceased trading; there have been a number of logistical challenges to obtaining member contact information. We are now in a position to communicate with our members and will look to keep you updated on a regular basis.
We recommend you add this email address to your ‘safe senders’ list to ensure that you receive our updates.
Board of Directors
The Directors of the Coop are volunteers and do not receive any payment for their services. The Board needs to have a minimum of three Directors in order to operate, and following the resignation of two Directors in recent weeks, Tom, Klaus, and Sam have recently been co-opted to join Ursula on the Board.
Sam Bayley, Chair
Sam is a senior leader in higher education with extensive experience in operations and planning roles. He has served on numerous boards as a governor or trustee and acts as a volunteer management consultant to small- and medium-sized charities.
Sam is a member of the Derril Water Coop as well as Coop 4.
Klaus Dudas, Secretary
Klaus is a senior software architect working for a mutual in the telecoms industry. He has a strong interest in renewable energy and enjoys applying his technical expertise to support sustainable initiatives. He has also been a company secretary and a general election agent.
Klaus is a member of all four Ripple Coops.
Thomas Prior
Thomas is a senior manager in IT with a background in large scale virtual desktop planning, deployment and support operations for large enterprises. He volunteered as a Scout Leader in multiple groups over 8 years and assisted in their respective governance structures.
Thomas is a member of Ripple Coop 4, formerly the Whitelaw Brae project.
Ursula Stevenson
Ursula has 25 years experience in environmental consultancy. Her experience includes environmental assessment and management, including construction of infrastructure projects. She is an active committee member for a professional institute and trustee of two local charities.
Ursula was one of the original Coop 4 Directors.
Latest Update
Ripple Energy Ltd ceased trading on 17th March 2025 and is currently in administration, being overseen by Begbies Traynor LLP. Begbies Traynor have set up a dedicated help page, which can be found at https://www.begbies-traynorgroup.com/ri ... gy-limited.
The Board believes that funds invested by members into the Ripple Coop 4 should have been held in a ring-fenced client account. We have not yet been able to confirm whether this is the case. Begbies Traynor advise that they are still reviewing the situation but have so far offered minimal engagement to the Coop 4 Board.
We note there has been speculation that Coop 4 have entered into partnerships with third parties. No such agreements have been made by the Coop 4 Board.
At this point in time, the Board does not have access to any operating funds and as such are trying to keep all expenditure to an absolute minimum.
Notice of a General Meeting
We have received a request from members for a General Meeting. In accordance with the Society’s rules, this will be held on Saturday 3 May 2025, at 15:00.
The meeting will be held via an online platform. We are currently considering the logistical arrangements and will be in touch with further details in due course.
Data Privacy
We have asked the Administrator for assurances that personal data of members had not been sold to 1st Energy as part of the asset sale referenced on their website, as this would not be allowed under the terms of our Management Services Agreement nor your Customer Agreement. We have not yet received such assurances and we have been unable to confirm whether any data breach has occurred.
As data controllers, we are required to apply the precautionary principle to looking after your data under GDPR. As such, we notified the Information Commissioner’s Office (https://ico.org.uk/) of a potential breach on 17 April and informed the Administrator that we have taken this action. The Administrator has confirmed that they will investigate promptly. We have also asked 1st Energy to destroy any customer data that may have been transferred to them unlawfully.
We have asked the Administrator to transfer to the Coop any data on Coop 4 members they are currently storing under the Management Services Agreement.
We will advise members of any further developments when we know more.
Next Steps
The Board will meet regularly and we will continue to update Coop 4 members via email. We will continue correspondence with the Administrators and to explore the options open to us to protect our members’ interests.
We are collating information, such as historic Coop 4 Board minutes, and our ambition is to share these with members as transparently as possible. We will let you know when this information is available.
Contacting the Board
The Board is working hard to get answers to the questions we know that members have, and to find a resolution to the current position. As we are volunteers, with our own full-time jobs, we appreciate your patience and would kindly ask that you only contact us if absolutely necessary on ********.
We will be in touch soon with a further update.
With best wishes,
Ursula, Tom, Klaus & Sam
Board of Directors - Ripple Coop 4 Limited
Re: Ripple energy "strike off"
I am not a member of WB, but I think this part might be more significant:
should have been held in a ring-fenced client account. We have not yet been able to confirm whether this is the case
You can't relax until the money is safe.
should have been held in a ring-fenced client account. We have not yet been able to confirm whether this is the case
You can't relax until the money is safe.