The MCS Data Dashboard – One year on!
7 November 2023
MCS Data Dashboard to be developed after a year painting dynamic data visualisations freely and publicly.
One year on from the launch of the Data Dashboard MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme), the standards organisation for small-scale domestic renewable energy and heating across the UK, is further developing the platform based on feedback from users.
The MCS Installations Database (MID) holds the details of every MCS certified, small-scale renewable energy installation in the UK since 2008, making it the most comprehensive reference for small-scale, renewable energy installations in the UK.
Since its launch in November 2022, the interactive Data Dashboard has drawn on data from the MID to provide a detailed analysis of the volume of domestic renewable energy installations in the UK freely to the public.
There are now almost 3,500 users registered for the MCS Data Dashboard, predominately researchers, consumers, and installers. Users access the online platform to monitor the current uptake of small-scale renewables, highlighting current and past trends, and identifying opportunities for further sector growth. Data is updated every 24 hours, instantaneously providing the most accurate picture of home-grown energy available across the industry.
Following on from a survey of this user base, MCS has developed a series of updates planned for the launch of the Data Dashboard Phase 2, which is set to be released in early 2024. These updates will include improvements to the user experience and aesthetics of the platform as well as an expansion of the data provided and how it can be filtered.
In Phase 2, users will be able to view the changes to the overall base of MCS certified contractors over time since 2008; they will also be able to view uptake of battery storage technologies, which will be added to the scope of the Data Dashboard.
Timeline sliders, which can currently be used to view changes in installation volumes and uptake for each of the technologies certified by MCS, will be updated to allow all data to be viewed by both month and year, providing more granular data for research and analysis.
Adam Padilla, MCS Scheme Analyst, said: “The MCS Data Dashboard remains the most comprehensive repository of data on small-scale renewables in the UK and we are proud to share our data with the public completely free of charge.
“Phase 2 is the first of a planned series of iterative updates to make the Data Dashboard as useful and user friendly as possible for the thousands of people using it on a regular basis. These updates will make a tangible difference for private and public sector low-carbon researchers in the UK as well as homeowners, installers, and journalists reporting on our national progress to Net Zero.”
You can sign up free to the MCS Data Dashboard ahead of the updates in Q1 next year here.