MCS launched Phase Two of its Data Dashboard on 23 September 2024, adding certified battery storage data, Isle of Man data, monthly breakdowns and a new contractor chart to the public record of small-scale renewable installations1.
The dashboard draws on the MCS Installation Database, known as the MID, which MCS describes as holding "the details of every MCS certified, small-scale renewable energy installation in the UK since 2008"1. The dashboard was first launched in November 2022 and provides near-real-time updates on MID data1. MCS said the changes follow a review of feedback on the original version1.
The updates listed by MCS are:
| Update | Detail |
|---|---|
| Battery storage | Installation and contractor data added |
| Isle of Man | Installation and contractor data added for the first time |
| Time breakdown | Data can be broken down by months as well as years |
| Contractor chart | New chart showing the total count of certified contractors on a monthly basis |
| Map feature | Now shows where installers are operating rather than where they are based |
Source: MCS1
On battery storage, MCS said 2024 had already seen more certified installations than any previous year, crossing the 10,000 mark, compared with just over 15,000 all-time installations1. Adam Padilla, Scheme Insights Manager at MCS, said:
"Battery storage in particular is enjoying a surge in popularity, so it's a perfect time to be able to start sharing the statistics with a wider audience so that this growth can be tracked and measured by both people working on renewable installations and those who influence the policies for our low carbon future."
The dashboard is divided into two sections. Installation Insights covers the uptake and geographical distribution of renewables; Scheme Insights allows comparison of growth between technology types and covers the contractor base installing them1. Both can be filtered by year, location, technology and installation type, with image and data exports available to download1. The MCS Data Dashboard is the reference point for these figures, and the underlying data can be viewed by area through renewable installations by local authority.
Why it matters for households
For a household weighing up a battery alongside solar panels, the dashboard is one of the few public sources that shows how many certified battery installations exist and how quickly that number is moving. MCS reports that 2024 has already passed 10,000 certified battery installations, against just over 15,000 across all previous years combined1. That is a measure of the market, not of any individual property's case, and it says nothing about payback, tariffs or how a battery would perform in a particular home.
The monthly breakdown matters for reading the trend rather than the total. Annual figures can hide a sharp change within a year; monthly data shows whether growth is steady or concentrated in particular periods1. The revised map, which now shows where installers are operating rather than where they are based, is a change in what the map measures, and households comparing coverage in their area should note the distinction1. The Isle of Man data appears for the first time and sits outside the UK figures1.
The dashboard records certified installations only. Work carried out outside the MCS scheme does not appear in the MID, so the totals are a floor rather than a full count of what has been fitted. MCS has not reported what share of the market that represents.
What happens next
MCS has not set out further phases or dates beyond the Phase Two launch on 23 September 20241. The dashboard continues to update from MID data on a near-real-time basis1.
Sources1 cited
- MCS launches Phase Two of the MCS Data Dashboard - MCS, mcscertified.com