For years, UK solar installers rode what Daniel White calls the “solar coaster.”

Every policy announcement triggered a rush of installations, followed by months of uncertainty as incentives changed and demand slowed. Businesses expanded overnight, only to contract again when the market cooled.

Today, the industry looks very different.

The UK is now installing 20,000 to 30,000 solar systems every month, compared with around 6,000 before COVID, while 2 million homes and small businesses have already adopted rooftop solar. Battery storage is becoming a standard part of the conversation, and the industry is preparing for another wave of growth through initiatives like the Warm Homes Plan.

But growth brings a new challenge: making sure quality keeps pace.

On this episode of The OpenSolar Podcast, Birchy is joined by Daniel White, Market Development Director at MCS, to unpack its redeveloped installer Scheme, one of the biggest updates to the UK’s quality mark for small-scale renewables in years. Their conversation looks beyond certification to explore how quality, trust and consumer confidence will shape the future of UK solar.

Also available to stream on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

A certification scheme growing up alongside the industry

Daniel’s route into renewables is anything but conventional.

Before joining MCS, he worked across textiles, diamonds and e-commerce before eventually moving into the heat pump industry, where he found himself managing MCS compliance long before joining the organisation itself. Nearly five years later, he’s helping shape how one of the UK’s most important certification schemes evolves alongside the industry. 

Today, MCS certifies almost 6,000 installers and more than 360,000 renewable energy installations every year.

That growth mirrors what’s happened across the wider UK market.

Solar is no longer the niche technology it was during the Feed-in Tariff years. Daniel describes those early days as the “solar coaster”, with every policy announcement creating another surge in installations before demand inevitably dropped away again. Today, the market feels steadier. Consumer awareness is higher, battery storage is growing quickly, and installers are building businesses around long-term demand rather than short-lived incentives.

The redeveloped MCS isn’t about more paperwork

Whenever certification changes are announced, installers naturally assume more paperwork is coming. Daniel believes MCS’redeveloped Schemeturns that assumption on its head.

The technical Installation Standards themselves haven’t changed. Installers will still be working to the same requirements for roof setbacks, structural calculations and electrical safety. What’s changing is how quality is assessed.

Historically, audits started with paperwork. Under the redeveloped MCS , they start with the installation itself. If the workmanship meets the expected standard, that’s where the conversation begins. Only when issues are identified do assessors look at the processes behind them.

Daniel describes the shift as moving from paperwork to “delivered quality”, built around what he calls a “technical truth” about what every solar installation should look like. The aim isn’t to create more rules, but to make sure every homeowner receives the same standard of installation, regardless of who paid for it or how it was funded. It’s a simple change, but one that rewards good installers for the quality of their work, not the thickness of their folders.

Redeveloped MCS at a glance

• Technical Installation Standards remain unchanged
• Audits begin with the finished installation, not paperwork
• Better-performing installers could see fewer assessments
• Installers with repeated quality issues will receive greater scrutiny
• Consumer protection has been strengthened with enhanced financial protection requirements.

Rewarding quality, not administration

One of the most practical changes for installers is how assessments will evolve.

Historically, a sole trader completing a handful of installations each year could face a similar audit schedule to a national installer delivering thousands. Daniel argues that never reflected reality.

Under the redeveloped instalelr Scheme, assessment frequency will increasingly reflect both the size of the business and the quality of its installations. Installers consistently delivering excellent work should eventually see fewer assessments, while businesses with repeated non-conformities can expect greater scrutiny.

For the majority of installers, it’s a simple message: quality should reduce the audit burden, while poor workmanship will carry greater consequences.

Solar isn’t the product anymore. Home energy is.

Beyond certification, one theme kept resurfacing throughout the conversation: Solar is becoming part of something much bigger.

Battery storage is growing rapidly, government policy is increasingly treating solar, batteries and heat pumps as complementary technologies, and homeowners are no longer buying individual products. They’re investing in complete home energy systems.

That changes the installer’s role.

Today’s customers aren’t just buying solar panels. They’re investing in lower energy bills, greater energy independence and confidence that their home is ready for the future. 

Quality is becoming the UK’s competitive advantage

Should every electrician become a solar installer? According to Daniel, not necessarily.

Managing £20,000 renewable energy projects isn’t for everyone, but he believes every electrician should understand DC systems as homes become increasingly electrified. As he puts it, “If the last one was smoke detectors… the next one is DC.”

As battery adoption grows and the Warm Homes Plan gathers pace, the next phase of UK solar won’t simply be about installing more systems. It will be about building trust through consistently high-quality work and giving homeowners confidence in one of the biggest investments they’ll make in their homes.

That’s ultimately what the redeveloped MCS is trying to achieve. Not more paperwork, but better outcomes for installers, customers and the industry as a whole.

Want to hear the full conversation? Watch the episode on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, where Birchy and Daniel White discuss the changes to MCS , the future of installer quality, and why the UK solar industry is entering one of its most exciting chapters yet.