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Stroud-based Ecotricity were one of only two companies from Gloucestershire to be included in the annual ��1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain�� report �� a celebration of the country's fastest-growing and most dynamic Small and Medium Sized Enterprises.

Founder Dale Vince caught up with the organisers ahead of the launch to talk Brexit, privatisation and EVs��

How would you best describe what your company does?

�ʹ�����app operate in the fields of Energy, Transport and Food, making more sustainable options available to homes and businesses on these fronts �� in the pursuit of greater sustainability and ultimately a Green Britain.

What have been the biggest opportunities for your company in recent years and how have you capitalised on them?

The growth of renewable energy as a competitive source of power �� we develop, build and operate all of our own.

The recent advances in green gas and the opportunity to make it from grass, which we’ve been leading.

Smart meters are going to revolutionise customer experience, along with the drive to a fully digital service.

Electric vehicles have come of age and our pioneering Electric Highway (national network of fast electricity pumps) is at the forefront of that.

How have you grown the business in recent tough economic conditions?

�ʹ�����app stay focussed on our mission. Tough economic times don’t affect the need for greater sustainability in all walks of life and don’t diminish increasing demand for solutions to that end - in fact, it’s the opposite in many ways. Sustainability is increasingly the more economic option.

How will your industry change in the coming years? What are the challenges and opportunities?

Smart technology will transform the way we power our homes and run the national grid. Renewable energy and electric vehicles will empower people, make them less dependent on energy companies and more inter dependent.

One of our biggest challenges is definition of this sector �� are we a privatised industry operating with regulation to ensure competition or are we a de facto state-run industry? �ʹ�����app are heading towards the latter of those.

What should the UK be doing to boost its competitiveness?

Stay in Europe.

What advice would you give to a small business starting out?

Have fun. Life is too short not to.