Case study: Metropolitan Solar Energy
Metropolitan Solar Energy was one of the first ECA Members to go on the MCS Made Easy course, late in 2010. Already well established within the electrical contracting sector, Metropolitan decided to expand into the renewable technologies market after attending the ECA and ELECSA Renewables Roadshow in Brentwood. Karl Warner, Metropolitan’s technical manager,
explains: ‘We thought going into renewable technologies was a good move for our business, and attending the Renewables Roadshow helped us understand how to take advantage of the opportunities on offer. There are some fantastic products available and the technologies are already big business in many countries, such as Germany. It’s just a matter of time before people catch on here in the UK, and at Metropolitan we wanted to be leading the way.’ Following the roadshow, some of their engineers were trained in design and installation of renewable technologies and they then signed up for an MCS Made Easy course to help them prepare for the MCS assessment, with the help of ECA Eastern regional manager, Geoff Cook. The course was tailored to Metropolitan’s requirements and delivered at its premises. ’The trainer went through everything with us, clearly
explaining each of the requirements we needed to comply with to get our MCS accreditation,’ says Karl. ‘He made it seem very straightforward and showed us that we don’t actually have to make many changes in order to comply. We were already doing most of it anyway and simply needed to tailor our existing processes.’
Thanks to the MCS Made Easy one day course and
the additional support and documentation available on the MCS Made Easy website, Metropolitan were quickly able to get ready for their MCS assessment, which they passed with flying colours. They’re now accredited and have been able to get warranty cover for their installations, which they wouldn’t have been eligible for without MCS accreditation. ‘We’ve now set up a renewables division and we’re
starting to market our new products. It’s a really exciting time for us and we’re hoping to get involved in educating lots more people about renewable technologies. We have plans to go into secondary schools and show young people what the future of renewable energy technology looks like.’ Karl concludes: ‘I would urge anyone thinking of expanding into renewable technologies to sign up for the ECA’s MCS Made Easy course. It has really helped Metropolitan to gets its renewables division off the ground.’ n For more information on Metropolitan Solar Energy, visit
www.metropolitansolar.co.uk
already doing 95 per cent of what’s required. And to help you understand the requirements, we’ve launched the MCS Made Easy one day course.
Achieving targets for renewable energy production could provide £100 billion worth of investment opportunities
Why join MCS? In this rapidly growing industry, installers and products that are certified under the MCS are likely to be seen as the preferred option in the market place, putting you in a better position to gain more business. As an ECA member, you already uphold high quality standards, and such assurance for renewable technologies clearly makes good business sense for you and your customers. MCS certification not only assures your professional reputation as an installer of renewable technologies, it also enables you and your customers to benefit from government incentives. In April 2010, the government introduced the Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs), which will provide guaranteed payments to individuals, business and communities for small-scale electricity generation. For your customers to benefit from FITs, your company
The government’s FITs scheme has led to a boom in installations of photovoltaics
46
ECA Today March 2011
SHUTTERSTOCK
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