MCS launches industry-first Battery Installation Standard

23 November 2021

MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) has launched the industry’s first standard for the installation of battery storage systems.

The new Battery Installation Standard (MIS 3012) outlines the requirements for MCS certified installers who supply, design, and install electrical energy storage or battery systems. It covers installations up to 50kW and Electrical Energy Storage Systems (EESS) classes 1 – 4.

MCS piloted the scheme at the beginning of 2020 with volunteer installers, in preparation for certification bodies to begin accepting applications for certification.

Battery storage systems come in numerous forms, so for the purpose of this new standard MCS has adopted a classification system aligned with the four EESS classes:

  • Class 1 – all the components in the same enclosure, or multiple enclosures from the same manufacturer but with no visible direct current (DC) cable.
  • Class 2 – battery modules and inverter in separate enclosures linked by a DC cable but both components from the same manufacturer.
  • Class 3 – as class 2 but where the battery modules and inverter are from different manufacturers, requiring the installer to determine compatibility.
  • Class 4 – all components, including battery modules, safety devices and inverters, could all be from different manufacturers but are selected and assembled by the installer to be compatible with each other.

MCS developed MIS 3012 with input from industry-leading bodies, including Tesla, Sonnen, Moixa, Powervault, AceOn Group, Solar Energy UK, and REA.

The standard is designed to better equip the industry to roll out battery storage installations while ensuring consumer protection.

To get certified in Battery Installation, contact either NAPIT or NICEIC to register your interest and begin the process of certification.

Chris Roberts, technical director at MCS, led the project to deliver this standard in collaboration with the MCS working group and support from Graham Kenyon, technical author, and principal consultant at G Kenyon Technology Ltd.

Chris said: “This is a huge milestone for MCS as we publish what we believe to be the first standard suitable for the certification of complete battery storage installations. By doing so, we aim to protect customers who invest in this pioneering technology. We also want to help the industry to grow by defining what constitutes good practice in the sale, design and installation of these systems.”

Ian Rippin, chief executive of MCS, added: “As we continue to support the sector and its continued innovation, our battery storage standard will be backed by scheme requirements managed independently and impartially.

“For installers, this represents a one-stop-shop for all their registrations without the need to access a different system. This is also about enabling the industry to deliver the best outcomes for the consumers it serves – the ability to search for all their renewable energy needs, including battery storage solutions, in one place.”

Registrations under this MIS 3012 will sit alongside existing small-scale renewable energy installations that are currently held centrally within the MCS Installation Database. This includes MCS certification of other microgeneration technologies used to produce electricity and heat from low carbon sources, such as solar PV, heat pumps and biomass.

MCS will be running an introductory offer for installers. Those who add battery storage to their offering or become newly certified for battery storage on or before 31 December 2022, will have 20 credits worth £600 added to their MID (MCS Installations Database) account.

The new standard will launch at this year’s Solar and Storage Live 2021, the country’s biggest renewable energy exhibition, taking place at the NEC in Birmingham from 23rd – 25th November.

MCS is a quality assurance scheme, supported by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). It provides the framework for the certification of microgeneration technologies used to produce electricity and heat from low carbon sources.

The new Battery Storage Installation Standard (MIS 3012) is available online now.