Chris and Ben founded Lightrock Power in 2017 having worked in solar development since 2010.
Subsidy-free sites in the UK were not yet feasible in 2017, so the pair originally embarked on developing projects in the US. From early 2019 they returned their attention to the home turf of the UK, and soon added storage solutions to their repertoire.
Whether at home or internationally, Lightrock was created with the determination to develop energy infrastructure in the right way – implementing all the gains to environment, economy and ecology that they can bring.
Lightrock is purposefully structured as a small development team with a flat structure – if you call us you will be able to speak with either Chris or Ben directly, we listen to feedback and implement it wherever we possibly can.
Solar energy, combined with storage, can help our society transition electricity generation away from fossil fuels but it must be done sensitively; we want to develop projects that optimise the benefits to the locations that are home to our projects.
We pride ourselves on being transparent and acting with integrity, not only with our landowners and funders but also, crucially, with the communities that are home to our projects.
Ben comes from a farming background and applies his knowledge of rural land management to solar farms, ensuring they can bring a positive contribution to the UK farming industry. Ben lives in Gloucestershire and enjoys swimming and exploring the South-West with his young family.
Chris is our resident eco-geek, focused on making efficient grid connections and designing exemplary solar farms. He has a particular interest in collaborating with our wildlife partners to optimise the biodiversity benefits of solar and storage developments. After years of being on Lightrock’s front line, he’s now been able hand over some of the day to day tasks to Jo, Michelle, Rick, and Andy, in order to focus on company strategy.
Chris lives in Yorkshire, and enjoys gardening with his young family, cycling in the Peak District National Park, and designing his very own eco-home.
Jo has a background in Environmental Consultancy, specialising in Environmental Impact Assessment, Planning and Project Management, and has over 17 years experience in this area. She oversees the day to day planning and environmental assessments of our projects and works with our external environmental consultants to prepare high quality applications.
Jo holds a BSc(Hons) and MSc in Environmental Impact Assessment, Auditing and Management Systems. In her spare time she enjoys hiking in the North Yorkshire countryside with her family and the dog.
Andy lives on a family farm in Wales and has a keen interest in sustainable land use. Andy passionately believes that the advantages of renewables should be shared by all – benefitting the neighbouring communities, the environment, energy security and the climate. This focus has seen Andy’s combined legal, land and development career sit within the renewable energy sector for over 17 years.
Outside of work and the farm, Andy enjoys walking the coastline and hills of Wales with his dogs, family and friends.
Rickard has worked at the heart of the UK renewable energy sector since the rise of the early solar subsidies era, with almost 12 years of experience under his belt.
Since joining Lightrock he has assisted in the growth of our ever-expanding UK portfolio, whilst aiding the transition into the transmission realm. As a passionate environmentalist and a proud parent, he has proven to be an ideal fit and feels very fortunate to have joined this inspiring and dedicated team of developers.
Michelle holds RTPI accredited Masters degree with a background in environmental policy and sustainability.
Michelle lives in Yorkshire and, when she’s not ensuring the smooth running of the planning process, spends much of her time travelling around the country with friends and creating healthy (and delicious) recipes.
Fiona handles day to day management of Lightrock Power’s PR and communications, writing public documents and liaising with contractors, key stakeholders and local communities.
Fiona lives in Yorkshire, and enjoys walks in the Peak District with her husband and daughter, and can otherwise be found tending to her wildlife garden.
