About the MCS Data Dashboard
The MCS Installations Database (MID) holds the details of every MCS certified, small-scale renewable energy installation in the UK since 2008. The abundance of information in the MID puts MCS in a privileged position to share data-driven insights with the sector.
Low Carbon Landscapes is our way of showcasing the valuable data available to MCS and making our insights accessible to the sector.
Launching in November, Low Carbon Landscapes will comprise several data-driven tools, including an annual report (the new iteration of Renewing Britain) and a brand-new, interactive online data dashboard tool – the MCS Data Dashboard.
About the MCS Data Dashboard
The MCS Data Dashboard is designed to provide near-real-time updates on MID data, to track the adoption of small-scale renewable installations in the UK. Given the UK’s legally binding net-zero targets, the MCS Data Dashboard puts small-scale renewable insights in your hands. It is an engaging way to monitor the current uptake of small-scale renewables, highlight current or past trends and identify opportunities for sector growth.
How the MCS Data Dashboard works
By producing data visualisations, the MCS Data Dashboard paints a dynamic picture of the uptake and distribution of small-scale renewable installations in the UK. It also uncovers insights into the MCS contractor community.
The MCS Dashboard is divided into two sections: Installation Insights and Scheme Insights. Both can be filtered by year, location, technology type and installation type. Image and data exports are also available for download from each visualisation. The system will be updated every 24 hours as new installation data becomes available in the MID, enabling users to view industry growth in near-to-real-time.
If you have any challenges using the MCS Data Dashboard, or feedback you would like to share, please contact us directly via the feedback form linked below.
About the data in the MID
The extensive dataset within the MID provides a unique insight into what small-scale renewable technologies were installed, plus where and when installations took place.
Please note, MCS certification is not a mandatory requirement, so MCS data does not capture all small-scale renewable energy installations in the UK. However, as MCS is often a route to government incentives, we are confident that our data represents a significant proportion of deployment in the UK.
The scope of technologies covered by MCS is up to 50kWe for electricity generating technologies, such as solar PV, and up to 45kWth for heat-generating technologies, such as heat pumps (up to 70kWth for multiple products installed in a single system).
Most installations registered with MCS are in the retrofit market. However, MCS may capture some new-build installations if contractors have chosen to register their installations with MCS. Most of the data is sourced from the MID; however, some data is augmented with external data from the UK Census[1] [2] [3] [4]; Office of National Statistics (ONS)[5] [6] [7] [8]; and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)[9] [10] [11] [12].
Please note, the MCS Data Dashboard excludes installations commissioned in 2008 due to minimal data available in that year. Also, a small proportion of MCS installation data is disregarded, mainly due to invalid address details.