Great British Energy has made its first solar investment giving a boost to Naked Energy.

This investment, alongside funds from Barclays Climate Ventures, will create a total of £9m and closes the company’s £27m Series B financing. The funding will be used to create a new automated manufacturing facility for Naked Energy's Virtu solar-thermal and PVT technology, creating up to 40 direct skilled jobs and around 100 indirect roles.

Great British Energy and Naked Energy also intend to explore how Virtu could be deployed across suitable public-sector buildings, including potential financing models that would enable organisations to adopt renewable heat without full upfront capital costs.

The location of the UK manufacturing facility is still to be determined but when operational, will reduce Naked Energy's production costs and support its continued growth in domestic and international markets.

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.”

Naked Energy's proprietary Virtu product range includes high-density solar thermal systems capable of generating renewable heat up to 120C and hybrid solar PVT systems that generate both heat and electricity from the same rooftop footprint. Its low-profile design allows for around 85 per cent of roof space to be used for energy generation, compared to a typical rate of 50 per cent, meaning more energy can be generated from the same space, making it especially useful in cities and on commercial buildings with limited roof space.

Virtu was the only solar energy technology to receive planning permission at the British Library, a Grade I listed building, precisely because its low-profile design does not alter the building's roofline or silhouette, a significant commercial differentiator for deployments at listed and heritage sites.

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