British solar heat tech disrupter Naked Energy announces its expansion to Spain and Portugal with a new office in Madrid.
Naked Energy’s solar heat technology converts solar energy into hot water, as opposed to conventional solar photovoltaic (PV) panels used to solely generate electricity. The Virtu collectors can be up to ten times more efficient than traditional solar PV.
Its VirtuHOT collectors generate clean heat up to 120 °C , while its VirtuPVT collectors combine PV and solar thermal to generate electricity and heat up to 75 °C. The latter is the world’s first evacuated hybrid solar collector to receive the gold TÜV certification, solidifying its status as a game changer in the solar industry. Naked Energy’s Virtu collectors can be up to ten times more efficient than traditional PV panels.
Naked Energy has hired Luis Guajardo as head of business development for Iberia to lead the expansion. Guajardo is an industrial engineer with more than 15 years of experience in the water, industrial and energy sectors. He has a track record of successfully expanding businesses into the region, which he did most recently with Rädlinger Primus Line, a German hydraulic infrastructure company.
This launch comes at a crucial time for the Iberian peninsula, which dealt with widespread power blackouts earlier this year. Naked Energy’s solar thermal collectors generate energy independently of the grid, helping Iberian businesses hit net zero targets while reducing the risk of the grid getting overwhelmed. It also helps to further Iberia’s efforts to decarbonise its heat, which typically represents over half the energy demand in Iberia.
This follows an exciting period of international growth for Naked Energy, which announced a deal with ELM Solar in 2024 to manufacture its solar thermal collectors in Dallas, Texas. The business is backed by £17m from Barclays and E.ON Energy Infrastructure solutions, and has several successful projects across twenty countries, including landmark projects such as with the British Library and Mandarin Oriental hotel.
“Our ambition is to replicate the success of projects such as the British Library and Mandarin Oriental in the UK, showcasing how our technology delivers both strong financial returns and significant carbon savings.”
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