6 August 2026
Great British Energy makes its first major solar-thermal investment, backing British innovator Naked Energy to scale UK manufacturing and boost energy security
- The £8.875 million 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
- The British-designed renewable heat technology is already cutting gas bills at iconic UK institutions and will now be manufactured on British soil
Great British Energy and Barclays Climate Ventures have today [Thursday 6 August] announced a combined £8.875 million investment in Naked Energy, a British renewable-heat technology company whose solar-thermal systems 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.
The funding round is led by Great British Energy, which is investing £7.5 million 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.
"At Great British Energy we are backing UK innovators like Naked Energy and helping to create skilled jobs. Through our Energy Engineered in the UK programme we are helping them to manufacture here at home and go further, faster.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said: “Homegrown, clean power is an opportunity to reindustrialise Britain as we’re backing UK supply chains to help deliver the energy transition.
“Great British Energy is supporting well-paid manufacturing jobs for communities, while providing cheaper and secure energy for households and businesses.”
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.
Daniel Hanna, Group Head of Sustainable and Transition Finance, Barclays, said: “Since our first investment in Naked Energy four years ago, we have worked closely with the business as it has grown, connecting them to our network of partners and clients, leading to the installation of their technology at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
"Our latest investment will help Naked Energy scale UK manufacturing, create skilled jobs and bring renewable heat to buildings across Britain. It shows how public and private capital can work together to strengthen UK energy security and grow a domestic renewable energy industry."
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.
Its unique, 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. 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. Notably, it was the only solar energy technology to receive planning permission at the British Library - a Grade I listed building - precisely because its design does not alter the building's roofline or silhouette, unlike many other technologies on the market.
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. The Great British Energy and Barclays joint investment marks a major scale-up phase, enabling Naked Energy to expand its UK production capacity and grow its presence in both domestic and international markets.
This is Great British Energy's first major solar investment and signals its continued commitment to putting public money behind British businesses at critical moments in their growth.
Notes to editors
- Great British Energy is a publicly owned renewable energy company, 100% owned by the British people. It was established to drive investment in renewable power, create jobs and help deliver the UK's renewable energy ambitions.
- Naked Energy is a British renewable-heat technology company headquartered in Crawley. 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.
- Barclays Climate Ventures first invested in Naked Energy in July 2022 and made a follow-up investment in July 2024. Naked Energy has also participated in Barclays' Unreasonable Impact programme, and its technology has been installed at Barclays' Cambridge Eagle Lab and the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
- Job figures - up to 40 direct and approximately 100 indirect roles - have been calculated using ONS methodology.
- The location of the manufacturing facility has not yet been confirmed. A further announcement is expected in due course.