Renusol Achieves Voluntary MCS On Roof Mounting Systems
The mounting systems manufacturer Renusol has been awarded MCS certification for its pitched-roof mounting systems InterSole, MetaSole and VarioSole, making the company one of the few manufacturers to have received the certification for a roof-integrated mounting system. Although MCS certification is not currently obligatory for pitched-roof systems in the UK, it indicates that the mounting solution is of a high quality. The MCS certificate was issued by the British Standards Institute (BSI), the leading British testing authority, after all the production processes were examined in detail and the levels of performance of the mounting systems were thoroughly assessed.
"As far as we know, only one manufacturer other than Renusol has received MCS certification for a roof-integrated mounting system. The fire resistance test in particular hinges on the roof-integrated mounting system being cleverly designed and properly assembled so as to withstand fire," explains Jason Mccabe, Application Technician UK & Ireland at Renusol. "InterSole, our roof-integrated mounting system, passed all the tests with flying colours." The German Technical Inspection Association TÜV Rheinland and the British testing institute Building Research Establishment Ltd (bre) put Renusol's InterSole, MetaSole and VarioSole PV mounting systems through their paces in a variety of tests examining characteristics including fire resistance, wind load resistance and rainwater tightness. The three systems passed all the tests successfully and were therefore awarded MCS certification.
Having been on the market for more than 14 years, InterSole is one of the world's oldest and most tried-and-tested roof-integrated mounting systems and was this year developed to accommodate the shape of roof tiles commonly found in the UK. A special cover plate ensures the system is completely watertight. InterSole allows almost all commercially available photovoltaic modules to be horizontally and vertically integrated into the roof.
VarioSole, Renusol's universal rooftop mounting system, is suitable for almost all roof coverings worldwide and thanks to its height-adjustable mounting components, it is even compatible with uneven roof surfaces. In addition, most of its components are pre-assembled, allowing the system to be mounted quickly.
MetaSole can be used to mount framed photovoltaic modules to trapezoidal and corrugated sheet metal roofs made from steel and aluminium. The system requires no mounting rails, is extremely lightweight at 1.3 kg per kWp and can be assembled in under ten minutes per kWp. All the parts needed to mount a 5 kWp system fit into a shoebox, saving on both logistics and transportation costs.
