Renewed Commitment To Solar Pv

I've written a number of articles now about the changes in the Solar PV Feed-in Tariff this year and how Solar PV is still a viable investment, despite the significant reduction in feed-in tariff. I think it's fair to say that it's been a challenging year for most Solar PV installation companies including Morgans Solar. On the 1st August, the feed-in tariff was reduced yet again to 16p for systems up to 4kWp and domestic installations have certainly slowed although the commercial side of things still seems buoyant. We've quoted on an interesting range of PV systems across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.

This week we received the annual renewal notice for our MCS certification for Solar PV and I wondered how many PV Installation companies will be renewing their licence this year. I feel certain there will be those who don't, those who joined the 'gold rush' but weren't committed for the long term. I didn't hesitate for a moment before completing our application and writing the cheque because I know there is a future for the renewable energy and having put so much work into our Solar business so far, we're not going to give up on it that easily!

For small companies like ours, the requirements of the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) can be somewhat cumbersome and the annual assessment will be daunting to some. An assessor will conduct a thorough review of our quality management system which includes quotation and contract paperwork, purchasing and supplier controls, equipment calibration, complaints procedure and importantly, training and competence. He/she will also inspect a recent Solar PV installation so it's generally a full day of being grilled. But, and this may sound a bit sad, I actually look forward to it! The quality controls required are simply the way we do do things now anyway. And if there is an element of the standard we've missed or got wrong (known as a non-conformance), we learn from this and have an opportunity to be even better at what we do. However, I also have a personal best record to uphold - we had zero non-conformance points on the last assessment, one minor point the year before so my 'Olympic Gold' will be to achieve zero non-conformance points again this year.

What does this all mean for you, our customers? Well, firstly, we are re-confirming our commitment to the Solar PV industry because we believe it has a future and still offers you the opportunity to generate very valuable, free electricity. Secondly, we are demonstrating our continued passion for delivering great service to both new and existing customers by putting ourselves through the MCS Accreditation process. We hope you'll join us in flying the flag for renewable energy technology going forward!