£1.5m solar heat installation project takes shape on the roof of the British Library

Tanya Weaver Mon 14 Oct 2024

Collected at: https://eandt.theiet.org/2024/10/14/ps15m-solar-heat-installation-project-takes-shape-roof-british-library

Solar tech company Naked Energy is installing the UK’s largest solar heat project across 712.5m² of roof space on the Grade I listed building.

The installation is expected to reduce the building’s CO₂ emissions by 55 tonnes and generate 216MWh of energy annually – the equivalent of powering and heating a community centre or swimming pool for a year. 

Naked Energy’s technology combines solar photovoltaic and thermal (PVT) technology to generate both electricity and heat from a single collector. 

These solar PVT collectors, called VirtuPVT, which Naked Energy says are the highest energy density solar technology in the world, can deliver a peak efficiency of 80%, converting 20% of the sun’s energy to electricity and 60% to heat. 

Being modular in design, these collectors can easily be installed on the roofs of commercial and industrial buildings.

The installation on the roof of the British Library comprises 950 solar collectors.

Naked Energy

The technology will supply sanitary hot water and space heating for the library, which houses over 170 million items, from newspapers and maps to sound recordings and patents.

The technology will also be used to help maintain the precise temperature and humidity conditions needed to preserve the library’s national collection. 

Christophe Williams, founder and CEO of Naked Energy, said: “This project has been an immense undertaking and is an exciting step forward for the solar thermal industry in the UK.

“We hope that this project can serve as a catalyst to inspire others in the public sector to join the energy transition and move away from fossil fuels once and for all.”

Patrick Dixon, director of estates and construction at the British Library, said the £1.5m project was part of the organisation’s “commitment to environmental action”.

The project was funded through the public sector decarbonisation scheme, run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The funds enabled the British Library’s supply partner, CBRE Global Workplace Solutions (GWS), to work with Naked Energy to design and install this technology on the building. 

Jon Benford, managing director at CBRE GWS, said: “Working towards net zero emissions in a Grade I listed English Heritage building comes with its own unique challenges, and we’re proud of the role this project will play in both preserving the past and protecting the future.”