Great British Energy has  made its first major solar-thermal investment, backing British renewable heat technology company Naked Energy to scale UK manufacturing and boost energy security

The £8.875m investment, led by Great British Energy and made alongside Barclays Climate Ventures, will fund a new UK manufacturing facility, creating up to 140 jobs and new export opportunities

Solar-thermal systems created by West Sussex-based Naked Energy are already cutting bills and reducing the use of gas at some of the UK’s most iconic institutions, including the British Library and the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon.

Great British Energy is investing £7.5m  through its Energy Engineered in the UK programme, with Barclays Climate Ventures participating as an existing shareholder. The combined investment will support Naked Energy's plans to establish a new UK-based manufacturing facility for its Virtu solar-thermal technology, creating up to 40 direct skilled jobs and around 100 indirect roles. 

In buildings across Britain, gas is still widely used for hot water, space heating and process heat. Cutting that reliance is one of the most important and challenging steps to reducing energy bills and strengthening the UK’s energy security.

Naked Energy’s technology generates renewable heat directly at the point of use – reducing gas demand without adding pressure to the electricity grid and helping businesses keep their energy bills stable when gas prices spike. 

Dan McGrail, CEO of Great British Energy, said: “Cutting our reliance on gas is one of the biggest challenges we face, both for energy security and for keeping bills down. Naked Energy has developed a technology that tackles this head on and when you see it working at iconic UK institutions like the British Library and Wimbledon, you understand what is possible.”

The location of the UK manufacturing facility is still to be determined but when up and running, will reduce Naked Energy’s production costs and support its continued growth.

The company holds more than 20 patents and unlike conventional solar panels, Naked Energy’s solar-thermal panels can produce both heat and electricity from a single rooftop installation. This is especially useful for buildings and sites with steady heat and cooling demand, such as hotels, leisure centres, hospitals, care homes, manufacturing facilities, residential developments and public buildings.

Naked Energy's design allows for around 85% of roof space to be used for energy generation, compared to a typical rate of 50% for conventional tilted solar panels that require spacing between rows to avoid self-shading. This means more energy can be generated from the same space, making it especially useful in cities and on commercial buildings with limited roof space.

Christophe Williams FEI, founder and CEO of Naked Energy, said: “The UK has world-class engineering capability and the opportunity to lead a rapidly growing global market for renewable heat.

“Great British Energy’s investment will enable us to establish a major UK manufacturing base, reduce production costs and scale a British-designed technology platform that combines advanced solar collectors, system design and digital monitoring.

“Heat is too often overlooked in the energy debate, despite accounting for a major share of fossil-fuel consumption. This investment will help us bring renewable heat to more hospitals, hotels, public buildings and industrial sites in the UK and internationally, while creating skilled jobs and export opportunities here at home.”

Naked Energy is already delivering projects across Europe and North America.