Naked Energy launches its dedicated system design service that helps businesses plan, model and deliver integrated solar thermal systems.
Image Credit: Naked Energy
Solar thermal is different from conventional solar PV panels in that it generates renewable heat rather than electricity. Naked Energy’s Virtu collectors have the highest energy density across solar thermal and solar PV panels, and can be up to ten times more efficient than traditional PV panels.
Its VirtuHOT collector generates clean heat up to 120 °C, while its VirtuPVT collector combines PV and solar thermal generating electricity and heat up to 75 °C. The products have received the coveted TÜV Rhineland certification. It makes VirtuPVT the world’s first evacuated hybrid solar collector to receive it, solidifying its status as a game changer in the solar industry.
Naked Energy has become the first UK solar thermal manufacturer to provide bespoke plans for how to integrate its technology into customer’s overall energy systems, something that was previously not available for solar thermal directly from a British Original Equipment Manager.
Sam Notter has joined Naked Energy as Principal Design Engineer to lead this operation. The chartered engineer has worked on UK district heating systems at Vital Energi, where he also led on large decarbonisation, industrial, healthcare and commercial application projects. He has also previously worked for world-leading companies Veolia and Engie as a systems design engineer.
Inefficient design has been a significant issue in the industry. Modern energy systems often integrate multiple technologies, each with their own specifications and unique characteristics. Integrating these technologies into one efficient system can be a challenging task.
Naked Energy’s system design team deploys standard industry platforms such as Polysun and EnergyPro. A proprietary in-house design tool simulates heating system interactions providing accurate performance forecasts.
Commercial and industrial businesses with year-long heat demand are Naked Energy’s core customers. They rely on accurate information to sustainably plan their heat decarbonisation journey.
Christophe Williams, CEO, Naked Energy, said: “More businesses have started to understand the need for renewable heating systems over the last few years. However, too many businesses have systems with a mix of different technologies that don’t operate in a concerted way, which leads to underperforming systems. This makes it challenging for many businesses to confidently switch to renewables.
“We’re on a mission to provide the support these companies need to get the most out of their renewable heating systems, and we’re very pleased to have Sam join the team to lead this operation. Sam has worked with some of the biggest companies in our industry and this hire is another statement of our intent to be leaders of the UK’s heat decarbonisation journey.”
Sam Notter, Principal Design Engineer at Naked Energy, said: “If there’s one thing I’ve learned working across the renewables industry, especially in designing UK heat networks, is that there’s no quick fix to decarbonise heat. The main challenge for the wider industry is to ensure the different technologies at play operate in harmony with each other and increase efficiencies across the board.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be leading the systems design service tackling this challenge for the leader in the solar thermal industry. Our Virtu technology has the potential to transform how the industry thinks about heat decarbonisation, and it’s a privilege to work with this talented team to accelerate our impact.”