Ecotricity has teamed up with construction company Skanska to build £500 million worth of onshore wind farms in the UK over five years, in an operation named Skylark.

Dale Vince, the founder of Ecotricity, said it has taken his firm 17 years to build capacity that generates 70MW of wind power, but he is now hoping to construct 100MW of schemes — enough to power 57,000 homes — every year.

Furthermore, the new joint venture will combine Ecotricity’s skills in winning planning consent for projects with the construction company’s ability to build them and bring in large investors.

Mr Vince said: “Ecotricity was the world’s first ‘green’ electricity company, while Skanska aims to be the ‘greenest’ construction company in the world. Our shared pursuit of sustainability and our complementary skill sets creates a strong partnership.”