About The MCS Data Dashboard

Launched in 2022, the MCS Data Dashboard, an interactive online data dashboard tool provides near-real-time updates on MCS certified installations for small-scale renewables across the UK.

The dashboard draws from the MCS Installations Database (MID) which 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. It is free and open to the public so there are no restrictions on who can see this information.

Technologies that can be monitored using the data include solar PV and heat pumps, growing technologies across the United Kingdom and beyond.

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.

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 installer community.

The MCS Dashboard is divided into two sections: Installation Insights and Scheme Insights. Both can be filtered by month, 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

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 Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)[9] [10] [11] [12].

Please note, that 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.