WindTurbine MCS Accreditation FIT Deadline Arrives
The deadline for non-MCS accredited wind turbines to be installed and still benefit from the Feed In Tariff, or FIT, passes on July 1st .
Evoco Energy, the specialist in small scale wind turbine technology, has welcomed the changes to Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) regulation that came into force from July 1st. Although the rules changed in January to stipulate that no new turbines could be eligible for Feed-in-Tariffs (FITs) unless they had been certified under MCS, unaccredited manufacturers were given until 01 July 2011 to install any orders they had received before 31 December 2010.
FITs are the financial incentives provided under the UK Government’s clean energy scheme and pay small scale and domestic energy producers for every kilowatt-hour of energy they produce, as well as for any electricity they export back to the grid. Guaranteed for 20 years, the financial rewards provided via FITs shorten the payback period of small scale renewable energy methods and are a major incentive when considering a wind turbine for micro-generation.
“The hiatus between the change in FITs regulation and the new rules coming into effect has led to many turbines that have not been stringently MCS tested coming onto the grid in the last six months,”comments Ryan Gill, managing director, Evoco Energy. “As manufacturers of one of only seven turbines now eligible for FITs, we are pleased to see the deadline of 1 July pass without amendment, as we strongly believe in the deployment of quality turbines that have been built to last, and that produce an electricity yield in accordance with the manufacturer’s claims.”
“Certification is now a must for any new turbine installation wishing to benefit from government incentives,” continues Gill. “We firmly believe that this is necessary to guarantee the levels of quality, performance and payback promised by small scale wind turbine manufacturers, and will serve to strengthen the case for wind power as an essential element in the future energy mix.”
Evoco Energy’s Evoco 10kW turbine was one of the first turbines in the UK to be approved under MCS, and was also recently accredited by the Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC) meaning it is now eligible for financial incentives throughout the United States
If you’re looking at installing a wind turbine, then for independent advice call Viridis on 0845 437 4484, or email info@viridisec.co.uk