Iconic British hotel Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London has installed innovative solar heat technology on their rooftop to decarbonise the building’s heating.
The hotel is the first British one to use Naked Energy’s VirtuHOT technology. The installation will comprise 120 of Naked Energy’s solar collectors across the roof space and will provide sanitary hot water for the hotel’s 181 luxury guest rooms and suites, award-winning restaurants and spa.
VirtuHOT is described as a flexible solar hot water solution which offers high energy density over a broad temperature range, with a unique, modular and versatile design.
The technology is expected to cut the building’s carbon emissions by 7.3 tonnes each year – equivalent to the annual carbon sequestration of over 292 mature trees. It will also generate 39,747 kWh of energy per year, displacing natural gas consumption and resulting in a reduction of scope 1 emissions for the hotel.
The collectors can generate solar heat up to 120°C and have received the gold standard TÜV Rheinland certification. Its unique modular design makes it the world’s highest energy density solar heat technology, estimated to reduce more than three times the greenhouse gases per square metre, compared to traditional solar PV (photovoltaic) panels.
Hotels are well known for requiring a high amount of energy to operate, and it is estimated that nearly 70% of a hotel’s energy consumption is spent on heating and hot water. The Virtu installation at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London marks an innovative approach to decarbonising the hotel’s high heating demand and delivers a clean energy benchmark for hotels across the country.
One of the city’s most recognisable hotels with a 120-year history, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London reopened in 2019 following an extensive multi-million-pound restoration. The unique low-profile design of Naked Energy’s collectors offers minimal disruption to the building’s architecture, circumventing an ongoing challenge for other buildings surrounding Hyde Park.
Christophe Williams, Co-Founder and CEO of Naked Energy said: “It’s an honour to instal our collectors on such an iconic London hotel as Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. The building has a long and storied history, and we’re delighted to now help them to meet their sustainability goals and control energy costs.
“The urgent need to decarbonise heat has long been under-recognised in the discussions over the UK’s move toward net zero. This project is an exciting step forward for the solar heat industry in the UK – we hope other hoteliers will follow in Mandarin Oriental’s footsteps to move away from fossil fuels and change their energy consumption for good.”
Torsten van Dullemen, General Manager of Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London said: “Naked Energy’s remarkable solar technology aligns seamlessly with our hotel’s core commitment to the wellbeing of our planet, of our community, and our staff and guests,
“I’m delighted to bring such an innovative solar heating system to our hotel – we’re designing a cutting-edge hotel experience that is built for the future we want to live in. We hope this installation serves as a blueprint to inspire other hoteliers in London to prioritise their renewable goals and join us in creating a cleaner, more sustainable tomorrow.”
