UK Farmers, small business and home owners with plans to install small wind turbines have been left in limbo as the scheme which determines which systems attract Feed in Tariffs (FIT), slashed the number of eligible machines. Appeals will not be considered.

UK Farmers, small business and home owners with plans to install small wind turbines have been left in limbo as the scheme which determines which systems attract Feed in Tariffs (FIT), slashed the number of eligible machines. Appeals will not be considered.

Potential customers whose chosen small wind turbine was on the so called Transition List – performance and safety not yet certified – will now have to either abandon their plans, switch to a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified small wind turbine or go ahead without the vital FIT subsidies.

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The MCS Steering Group confirmed that Transition Products removed on 31st December 2010 are no longer eligible to be registered with the MCS Installation Database after 30th June 2011.
The Steering Group made clear that this decision is:

“Vitally important and fundamental to the credibility and integrity of the Scheme. Appeals against this decision and applications for extensions are therefore not possible and will not be considered.

“The MCS Steering Group is of the opinion that, while the Transition Arrangements were necessary during 2010, there is now insufficient justification to continue listing products for whose performance and safety MCS cannot vouch. It is therefore in the interests of the consumer making an informed choice between products that, with the exception of micro hydro, bespoke building integrated photovoltaic, and hybrid technologies, MCS is moving to allowing the registration of installations with only those products that have completed certification.

“Having what was effectively a ‘two-tier’ process for achieving listings is not supporting consumer choice, as Transition products have not been subjected to the same rigorous scrutiny as MCS certificated products”

Gaia-Wind CEO Johnnie Andringa said;
“The MCS Steering Group acknowledges that in the case of small wind turbines in particular, the over-riding concern is for quality and consumer protection. Companies like Gaia-Wind have invested very substantial sums in R&D of our small wind turbine, and in particular in the Microgeneration Certification Scheme.
“MCS recognises that our unique, two blade small wind turbine has been rigorously tested, that Gaia-Wind is at the cutting edge of small wind generator technology and that our products and systems are spot on. For our customers this is the guarantee that they can not only attract Feed in Tariffs with our products but can have peace of mind that they have been very rigorously checked out.”
Notes:
1. MCS Announcement link
2. Gaia-Wind Ltd is a manufacturer of world leading high performance Small Wind Turbines, servicing farms, large residences, small businesses, and public buildings. The company is headquartered in Glasgow, and has appointed distributors in England, Ireland, Italy and the US.
3. The company has more than three hundred small wind turbines installed worldwide with a combined operational time of almost ten million hours.
4. The Gaia-Wind turbine is optimised for performance in moderate wind speed regimes (sites with a hub height annual average wind speed in the 5-7m/s range). In such conditions the large rotor allows the turbine to produce more energy than other similarly rated machines thereby offering superior project economics and return on investment.
5. The decision will not affect the FIT eligibility of the installations that were commissioned on or before 30th June 2011.
6. MCS is linked to many of the key factors driving demand for renewable energy, such as:
• Feed-In Tariffs which provide guaranteed payments to individuals, business and communities for small-scale electricity generation.
• The Renewable Heat Incentive
• The Code for Sustainable Homes,
• The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for Energy Rating of Dwellings