Crawley-based Naked Energy secures €10.35 million to build UK solar-thermal technology manufacturing facility

Naked Energy, a Crawley-based renewable-heat technology company, has secured an €10.35 million (£8.875 million) investment to fund a new UK manufacturing facility, creating up to 140 jobs and new export opportunities. 

The investment was led by publicly-owned renewable energy company Great British Energy, which is investing €8.7 million (£7.5 million) through its Energy Engineered in the UK programme, with participation from existing shareholder Barclays Climate Ventures. 

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.”

Founded in 2009, Naked Energy states that it designs high-performance solar technology that helps businesses decarbonise profitably. Its technology generates renewable heat directly at the point of use, thereby 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.”

Its Virtu product range includes high-density solar thermal and solar PVT systems that generate renewable heat and, in the case of VirtuPVT, both heat and electricity from the same rooftop footprint. 

The company also develops digital tools for system design, monitoring and performance optimisation, supporting the deployment of renewable heat across commercial, industrial and public-sector buildings.

Naked Energy holds more than 20 patents, and unlike conventional solar panels, its solar-thermal panels can produce both heat and electricity from a single rooftop installation. This is 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.

As per the company, its low-profile 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. 

The company also highlighted that it was the only solar energy technology to receive planning permission at the British Library – a Grade I listed building – because its design does not alter the building’s roofline or silhouette, unlike its competitors. 

“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,” added Williams FEI. 

Naked Energy is already delivering projects across Europe and North America. This capital will help the company to expand its UK production capacity and grow its presence in both domestic and international markets. The funding 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. 

Its solar-thermal systems are already being used at some of the UK’s most iconic institutions, including the British Library and the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon.

The company raised a €6.12 million (£5.25 million) Series A in 2019 and a €19.8 million (£17 million) Series B round in 2024. 

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