What is an MCS solar installer?
An MCS solar installer is an installation company with MCS certification relevant to solar photovoltaic technology. Solar photovoltaic systems, usually shortened to Solar PV, generate electricity from sunlight using solar panels.
When somebody searches for an MCS certified solar installer, they are generally trying to distinguish companies with relevant certification from the wider population of businesses offering solar-related products or services.
That distinction is useful because a company appearing within the wider renewable energy industry is not necessarily certified for Solar PV installation work.
Solar PV and MCS
Solar PV is one of the renewable technologies associated with MCS certification. Installer information can therefore be used to identify businesses associated with certified Solar PV installation work.
It is useful to think about the technology separately from the company itself. An installer may hold certification relating to more than one technology, while another installer may focus predominantly on solar.
For example, some businesses may appear against Solar PV as well as battery storage, while others may combine solar with heat pump or other renewable energy services.
If you are new to the wider scheme, our guide to MCS certification explains the broader certification landscape.
What to check when researching an MCS solar installer
Whether you are looking for a contractor or researching the UK solar market, several pieces of information can help you understand an installer listing.
- Company name - identify the legal or trading business associated with the installer listing.
- Solar PV technology - check that the installer is associated with the relevant solar technology rather than assuming all MCS installers offer Solar PV.
- Certification number - useful for identifying and checking the installer.
- Certification body - review the certification information associated with the company.
- Location - check the business address, postcode and relevant service regions.
- Contact details - website, telephone and email information can help when researching or contacting a company.
Where certification status matters to an installation, purchase or compliance decision, current information should always be verified rather than relying on an old company listing.
Solar installers and battery storage
Solar PV and battery storage are closely related areas of the renewable energy market, but they should not automatically be treated as the same installer category.
A solar installation company may also work with battery systems, allowing generated electricity to be stored for later use. However, the technologies recorded against an installer should be checked individually.
This becomes particularly useful for market research. A business looking specifically for companies operating across both Solar PV and battery storage can narrow its research to installers associated with both technology categories rather than treating every solar company as a battery installer.
How to find MCS solar installers
The best way to find MCS solar installers depends on the purpose of the search.
A homeowner looking for a Solar PV installation will usually want to identify companies serving their location, compare suitable installers and verify current certification before making a decision.
A business may have a different objective. Solar equipment suppliers, software companies, researchers, consultants and other organisations may need to identify a larger number of installation businesses across multiple regions.
In those cases, structured installer information makes it possible to filter companies by technology, location and other available fields.
Our broader guide to finding MCS certified installers explains the different approaches.
Researching the UK MCS solar installer market
A structured list of MCS solar installers can be useful for more than simply finding a contractor. It can also support business and market research across the UK solar industry.
Common use cases can include:
- Researching installers by UK region
- Identifying Solar PV installation companies
- Finding businesses operating across solar and other renewable technologies
- Supplier and partnership research
- Renewable energy market analysis
For this kind of work, individual web searches can become inefficient because the information has to be collected, normalised and organised before it can be analysed.
Solar is only one part of the wider MCS installer landscape. You can explore the wider market in our MCS Certified Installers UK guide, or compare it with our guide to MCS heat pump installers.
Figures are Data Menu's count of installer listings shown in the public MCS 'Find an Installer' search, grouped by county and technology, as at 15 October 2026. This is independent analysis, not official MCS statistics. Data Menu is independent of MCS and is not the official MCS directory. To find an installer or check current certification, use the MCS Find an Installer search, especially where it matters to an installation, purchasing, eligibility or compliance decision.