Naked Energy raises £9m led by Great British Energy with Barclays Climate Ventures
This article covers Naked Energy, a British greentech startup, which has raised £8.9m in a growth funding round led by Great British Energy with participation from Barclays Climate Ventures. The funding will underwrite a new UK manufacturing facility for its Virtu solar-thermal panels, support rollout of renewable heat across public and commercial buildings and is expected to create up to 40 direct skilled jobs and around 100 indirect roles.
Naked Energy, a British greentech startup, has raised £8.9 million in a growth funding round led by Great British Energy, with participation from existing shareholder Barclays Climate Ventures. The funding — including a £7.5 million commitment from Great British Energy through its Energy Engineered in the UK programme — will underwrite a new UK manufacturing facility for Naked Energy’s Virtu solar-thermal technology and is expected to create up to 40 direct skilled jobs and around 100 indirect roles.
Why it matters
Heat remains one of the most stubborn sources of UK fossil-fuel demand, used widely for hot water, space heating and industrial processes. Technologies that generate renewable heat at the point of use can reduce gas dependence without increasing pressure on the electricity grid, helping businesses manage energy bills when gas prices spike and strengthening energy security.
Naked Energy’s financing ties into two current priorities for UK industrial policy: building domestic manufacturing capacity for clean-energy technologies and easing pressure on gas demand through electrification-lite solutions that do not require major grid upgrades.
Inside the product
Naked Energy produces Virtu, a solar-thermal panel that delivers both heat and electricity from a single rooftop installation. The company holds more than 20 patents for its approach. The panels’ low-profile design can use roughly 85% of a roof for energy generation, compared with about 50% for tilted photovoltaic arrays that need spacing to avoid self-shading. That compact form factor helped the Virtu system secure planning permission at the Grade I listed British Library, where its design does not change the roofline or silhouette.
The technology is already installed at notable UK sites, including the British Library and the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon, and Naked Energy is delivering projects across Europe and North America. The new plant — location yet to be confirmed — aims to lower production costs and accelerate rollout.
Who are the investors?
Great British Energy is the lead investor, committing £7.5 million through its Energy Engineered in the UK programme. Barclays Climate Ventures, an existing shareholder, has also participated in the round.
In the announcement, Dan McGrail, CEO at 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.
In the announcement, Daniel Hanna, Investor at Barclays Climate Ventures, 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.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Christophe Williams, Founder & CEO, 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.
Williams frames the round as a step toward domestic production and export growth rather than purely a sales push. The company’s emphasis on system design and digital monitoring signals a product play that combines hardware with operations data, which can be important for deployment at complex institutional sites.
The bigger picture
The deal sits at the intersection of industrial strategy and the net-zero transition: investors and policymakers are increasingly focused on crowding manufacturing back into the UK for technologies that reduce fuel imports and localise value chains. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh welcomed the announcement.
In the announcement, Miatta Fahnbulleh, Energy Secretary, 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.
For greentech investors, the round highlights continued appetite for companies that target heat — a less-glamorous but essential part of decarbonisation. If Naked Energy can deliver lower-cost UK manufacturing and broaden installations beyond flagship sites, it may help open a larger market for renewable heat across public and commercial buildings in the UK and abroad.
The transaction also underscores how public programmes and corporate venture arms are partnering to scale domestic clean-energy manufacturing — a pattern likely to persist as the UK seeks industrial footholds in the energy transition.
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