The Buildings Working Group focuses on solar thermal systems used in buildings ranging from residential properties and public buildings to hotels and commercial centres.
Jonny Williams will lead the group's efforts to digitalise the sector and advise Solar Heat Europe's general strategy for positioning solar thermal with other renewable tech. He’ll lead the industry's efforts to ensure solar thermal is recognised within key EU legislation to decarbonise the continent's heat.
This appointment further solidifies Naked Energy's status as a leading player in the solar thermal industry. Its solar thermal collectors specialise in decarbonising heat in commercial and industrial buildings and have received the coveted TÜV Rhineland certification.
The business is also backed by £17 million from Barclays and E.ON and has projects in 10 countries, including the largest UK solar thermal project on the British Library.
Williams joined Naked Energy in 2021 as Strategy and Partnerships Lead, before becoming Head of Operations and Maintenance (O&M) in 2024. He leads the company's O&M service, particularly the regular assessment of project performance through Clarity 24-7, the company's industry-first tech monitoring platform.
The appointment comes at a pivotal time for the decarbonisation of heat. Currently only 26 percent of Europe’s heat is currently generated from renewable sources. Solar thermal is well-positioned to change this, with the European Commission recently singling it out as being key to reducing the continent's dependence on fossil fuels.
“Decarbonising heat is one of the biggest challenges in Europe’s energy transition, and solar thermal will play a key role alongside other renewable technologies” said Mr Williams. “I'm excited to influence these policy discussions and use our experience of installing projects in 11 countries to help accelerate solar thermal's adoption across the continent.”
Solar thermal is an important way of helping to reduce the cost of operating boiler and heat pump systems in industrial applications. Naked Energy research suggesting integrating solar thermal can save British industrial businesses over £600,000 a year in operational expenditure, with an estimated payback of under 9 years and cumulative savings of over £14.5 million over the 25-year lifetime of the installation.
Williams' 20 years of experience in the construction and renewable energy sectors, with a background in engineering and environmental law, makes him well-placed to lead the industry's efforts to ensure the EU recognises the vital role that solar thermal has to play.
Jonny Head of Operations and Maintenance at Naked Energy and Chair of the Solar Heat Europe Buildings Working Group.
“Solar thermal already plays an important role in the buildings sector, but there is still significant potential to expand its contribution to Europe’s renewable heat mix” added Valérie Séjourné, Managing Director of Solar Heat Europe. “This is especially important as the EU publishes new legislation this year, such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. I’m looking forward to working with Jonny and the other Solar Heat Europe members to strengthen the industry’s voice in policy discussions and ensure solar thermal is positioned and recognised as a leading solution for decarbonising heat in buildings.”
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