Technology Meets Tradition: How we unveiled a milestone project with The British Library

Fans of the show Grand Designs always love an episode in which an ultra-futuristic home is built smack in the middle of a row of Edwardian townhouses.

The tension between the modern and the traditional – and the rows between the neighbours – can lead to some compelling TV. 

But sometimes, technology and tradition work hand in hand beautifully – and Harpswood has recently been lucky enough to work on such a project.

We recently supported solar thermal innovator Naked Energy to unveil a milestone project with The British Library. 

Naked Energy partnered with the Library to install 950 of its cutting edge solar thermal collectors on the iconic Grade I-listed building - the largest solar heat installation in the UK. 

Naked Energy is the developer of the world’s highest energy density solar technology. Hailed as a key solution to the rising global demand for renewable heat, the company’s award-winning collectors convert the sun’s energy into both heat and electricity and save up to four times the amount of carbon as standard solar PV panels.

Naked Energy’s tech will help the British Library’s carbon emissions by 55 tonnes each year. 

Comprising over 950 solar collectors and spanning 700m2 of the iconic building’s rooftop, Naked Energy was able to secure planning permission on the Grade I-listed building as the sleek low-profile design of its collectors does not disrupt the Library’s architecture and is invisible from street level.

We knew the story had immense media potential as soon as we heard about it. 

We kicked off coverage with a package on BBC London that included on-site reporting and a detailed interview with Naked Energy’s CEO and co-founder Christophe Williams. The news also featured in an article on the BBC News website. 

ITV London and London Live followed suit, reporting on the project in news bulletins throughout the day. 

In-depth articles were secured with Bloomberg and Evening Standard, and The Times’ Adam Vaughan was so taken with the project he put it in the paper and then made a dedicated post about it on his personal LinkedIn. 

The news landed over 60 pieces of coverage and counting - and has created incredible momentum for Naked Energy as they accelerate the rollout of their technology worldwide.

It’s always exciting to help a client amplify a milestone achievement - and by bringing together The British Library’s incredible heritage with Naked Energy’s pioneering technology this project was a dream to PR. 

Congratulations to the brilliant team at Naked Energy and a big thank you to all the project partners for their help making it all happen!

See a snapshot of our results here.