Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park–London Has Solar Heat Technology Installed

Last Updated on: 10th July 2025, 10:27 am

The historic, luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London recently had rooftop solar heat technology installed to make hot water. It is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 7.3 tons each year. The technology is made by Naked Energy and was installed by the renewable technology specialists SHEco.

The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park–London has over 180 rooms and suites. It also has restaurants, two bars, a spa, and a tearoom. Its ballroom can accommodate up to 400 standing guests and about 250 seated. It is popular with guests for events such as weddings, galas, and receptions.

Christophe Williams, CEO and founder of Naked Energy, answered some questions about the project for CleanTechnica.

What is a thermal solar collector and how does it reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption?

Solar thermal collectors are different from solar PV in that solar thermal generates heat, whereas PV generates electricity.

PV panels convert the sun’s energy at around 20 per cent efficiency, but with solar thermal you can convert between 60 to 80 per cent of the sun’s energy into thermal energy. So, it’s three to four times more efficient in terms of converting the sun’s energy into usable clean energy.

Solar thermal is also a distributed renewable solution, which means it generates energy at the ‘grid-edge’. This not only takes pressure off the grid, which is under considerable pressure to try and deliver net zero, but also guarantees that the heat you get from solar thermal is 100% renewable.

What is the use life of the solar collectors?

Minimum 25 years life span for the entire Virtu product range.

How long do they take to install?

It is difficult to provide a generic answer. Installation time very much depends on the size of the installation and the condition/type of the roof or façade they are installed on. Also, connection from the Virtu array to the plant room has to be carefully designed. As Virtu is often retrofitted into existing heating systems on site, potentially convoluted plant rooms and long and bespoke pipe runs have to be considered, too. 

Will they make all the sanitary hot water for the hotel’s 181 luxury guest rooms and suites, award-winning restaurants, and spa?

The project will not generate all of the sanitary hot water for the hotel, predominantly due to limited roof space. The project is the first hotel in the UK to use Naked Energy’s solar thermal technology to help decarbonise their heat. This provides an important proof-of-concept for the hotel industry, which has seen its energy demand steadily increase since the 1990s, largely driven by heating and hot water demand.

What is also important to consider is that this project generates heat without relying on the National Grid, which has been struggling to keep up with the pace of net zero. Every project that uses solar thermal creates additional capacity for the grid to decarbonise other industries through electrification. It also proves to hotels that there are more options available to them than only heat pumps, which may be unfeasible for some hotels given the difficulties a number of businesses are encountering getting grid connections.

What was used before to make all that hot water?

Before Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park was reliant on gas to supply its hot water. This installation of Naked Energy’s collectors is a commitment from the hotel to sustainability and being the leader in the luxury hotel industry.