War has broken out between two of Britain’s largest green energy suppliers ahead of a boardroom showdown that could clear the way for one of the ­industry’s biggest names to launch a controversial takeover of its rival.

Aim-listed Good Energy will square up to Ecotricity later this week in a bid to crush its competitor’s controversial plan to infiltrate the board months ­after taking a large stake in the company. Dale Vince, the multi-millionaire founder of Ecotricity, became the biggest shareholder of his long-time rival in October after clinching a 25.3pc stake worth £9m.

In a move that threatens to tarnish the squeaky-clean image of the renewables industry, he now hopes to ­become a non-executive director, alongside Simon Crowfoot, an Ecotricity executive, raising fears that the pair may be plotting a hostile takeover.