THE CERTIFICATION ISSUE

Any renewable energy source is only eligible for Feed in Tariff payments if both the product and the installer are MCS registered.

Friday 23, July 2010

In order to protect its substantial investment in microgeneration, the government (via the Department of Energy and Climate Change) specifies that both product and installer must be of proven quality to qualify for the Feed in Tariff. To achieve this result, the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) was launched.

Products can be awarded MCS accreditation by BRE, BBA or BSI. To achieve this certificate, manufacturers have to provide test reports from approved laboratories, proving the effectiveness and durability of their solar systems. They must also demonstrate a high level of control in the PV manufacturing process, ensuring consistently high quality product. This ensures they will be fit for purpose for the 25 years of the tariff. Redland’s Solar PV Tiles are fully MCS certified by the British Board of Agrément and, as certified products, are now listed on the www.microgenerationcertification.org website classifying all certified microgeneration systems.

The current MCS assessment does not cover the roof integration. However, benefitting from the company's existing testing facilities, Redland has tested its Solar PV Tile under storm and driving rain conditions in its unique wind tunnel. The Solar PV Tiles have been designed to meet the same uplift performance as the surrounding roof, thus enabling Redland to guarantee the weathertightness of the systems when integrated with the associated Redland tile.

On the installation side, all installations must be inspected and approved by an MCS certified installer. Roofing contractors can become a certified installer if they are assessed and approved by an accredited certification body.