- Founder and CEO at Naked Energy
- Naked Energy strives to enable both businesses and broader communities to move away from the use of gas.
- The company’s goal is to displace ≈100k tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2030 by providing zero-carbon heat to commercial and industrial space around the globe that is both efficient and cost-effective.
Tell Us About Yourself and Naked Energy
I spent many years in the advertising industry, where I had some unforgettable experiences, including getting mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records. But deep down, I always felt a calling to do something with greater purpose. That calling was renewable energy. Over ten years ago, I followed that passion and founded Naked Energy, driven by a belief that innovative technology can help create a more sustainable world..
At Naked Energy we are on a mission to get businesses and communities off gas. Our solar solar heat and power collectors, paired with advanced software, are transforming heat for businesses and industry. The technology delivers up to four times the carbon savings per m2 compared to conventional solar PV, and operates independently of the grid, which is already struggling to cope with the weight of net zero. By 2030 we aim to displace ≈100k tonnes of CO2/year by providing cost-effective zero-carbon heat to commercial and industrial spaces around the globe.
What Inspired You To Start Naked Energy? What Problem Were You Trying To Solve?
My biggest inspiration was my grandfather Peter Blenheim Williams, who was decades ahead of his time. During the fuel crisis in the 1970s, he was Head of Engineering in the ‘Alternative Energy Division’ for the Clean Energy department at John Laing.
He was pioneering things like flywheel storage technology, bi-directional underwater turbines, early iterations of solar, wave and wind power, and the oscillating duck up in the North Sea. On a lot of these projects he worked with Professor Steve Salter, a real pioneer in clean energy.
I wanted to follow his footsteps and tackle the decarbonisation of global heat demand. It’s responsible for over 50% of all energy use, of which roughly 90% is still provided by fossil fuels, but has been neglected for years. At Naked Energy, this is what we want to change.
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What Has Been Your Biggest Challenge So Far? How Did You Overcome It?
The biggest challenge we’ve faced, particularly in the early days, was from investors looking for quick wins, and failing to realise that innovative hardware doesn’t work like that. The investment community is often looking for quick turnarounds with low investment risk, and more often than not this means software. Climate software can be incredibly effective, and is undoubtedly necessary to manage the transition in the most efficient way. However, the climate crisis is first and foremost a hardware issue.
Hardware is hard, but we can’t tackle climate change without it, and this realisation was how we overcame the challenge – we had to stick to our guns and show investors how important it was. We also realised that we could sell the fact that with hardware there’s something tangible you can take to market and this also creates barriers to entry for competitors.
Can You Describe A Pivotal Moment That Shaped the Direction of Naked Energy?
A pivotal moment that has shaped our startup was securing £17m in Series B funding from Barclays and E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions. This not only has enabled us to expand our operations and get bigger and better projects, but we are now also teaming up with E.ON to offer Heat-as-a-Service contracts to commercial and industrial clients. The end-user pays nothing upfront and instead pays back the costs of the tech over the lifetime of the contract, usually between 10 and 20 years. The cost per kWh of heat is fixed at the same or lower than their current price per kWh of heat for the duration of the contract, helping reduce operating costs from day 1 and insulating them from volatile gas prices.
This significantly broadens the range of customers we can serve, enabling even more businesses and communities to decarbonise their heat and move away from gas. It has the potential to transform the entire market.
How Do You Define Success In Business?
For Your Business: At Naked Energy, we define success by how many businesses we can get off gas and onto cost-effective renewable heat. Global heat demand accounts for over 50% of all energy, of which around 90% is still provided by fossil fuels, yet this has been consistently overlooked for decades.
Every business that we can persuade to start addressing this issue and a step closer to net zero is a step in the right direction for us.
However, we won’t consider ourselves truly successful unless we decarbonise at least 1% of global heat demand.
As A Founder: For me personally, I want to inspire people to become more sustainable, and a real highlight for me was to achieve this for my family.
Growing up, my eldest daughter wasn’t that interested, but on a school ‘go to work with daddy’ trip to PA Consulting’s technology centre in Cambridge it opened her eyes to the world of science. The trip inspired her to achieve an MA in Physics at Imperial College London, and she’s now working in the Technology Data and Analytics team at PwC, specialising in ESG.
I’m so proud that my family is developing this legacy of working within the environmental space. In several more decades when I look back, I hope to be able to say we played a part in the renewable revolution, and that would be an amazing feeling.
What Advice Would You Give To Someone Thinking About Launching Their Own Startup?
My main advice would be to never assume that you have all the answers. As a business leader, it’s vital to have a melting pot of expertise and personalities to keep you on the right track. When you have a good team, those necessary compromises become natural, your knowledge gaps are filled, and your problem solving is made easier.
Having a thick skin is important too. Even with an idea you think is groundbreaking and truly believe in, you’re still going to face a lot of rejection. ‘No’ never gets any easier to hear, but if you stay determined despite all the pushback, you have a great chance to make it.
What’s Next for Naked Energy?
There’s plenty to be excited about at Naked Energy. We have bigger projects that we’re working on installing across a range of sectors, from hotels to manufacturing plants, and even including some household names. We’re also building out our manufacturing capacity in USA, following a partnership with ELM Solar to build our solar thermal collectors in Dallas. There’s lots going on!
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Founder’s Five with Christophe Williams
Professional acumen is one thing, but we want to know more about the man behind the title. Here’s our exclusive “Founder’s Five” with Christophe Williams.
1. Favourite business tool?
The Firefly note taker has proven to be quite handy, as it saves valuable time that would’ve been spent transcribing meetings, and thus improves productivity for the business.
2. One Lesson you’ve learned the hard way?
Make sure you raise enough capital from the right investors – not every investor is the right fit, and you shouldn’t take money from anywhere.
3. A future trend you’re watching?
As grids across the world struggle to bear the weight of electrification to reach net zero, it will be paramount that governments and businesses invest in technology that decarbonises heat instead.
4. One quote you live by?
I’ve never really been one for quotes, but I do live by the principle of trying to be authentic and always stay humble.
5. A book/podcast you recommend?
Climate Wealth by Jigar Shah
Want to be featured as TechRound’s Founder of the Week? Know someone who deserves to be recognised as a founder making waves in the startup landscape? Find out more about this weekly feature and how to get involved here.
