Romag score a first with Kitemark Microgeneration
Press release - 11 May 2010
Romag, a leading manufacturer of laminated and toughened glass, and of solar energy products, has achieved the accolade of becoming the first company to be awarded a licence under the new and prestigious Kitemark Microgeneration scheme, which is operated by British Standards Institution (BSI).
The licence has been granted in respect of the Romag’s PowerGlaz SMT6-series solar PV (photovoltaic) modules, which are suitable for use in on-roof, grid-supplemental and grid-independent applications.
“We have been Kitemark licensees for our glass products for many years,” said Joe Paisley, Quality Assurance Director at Romag, “and we’ve found time and again that the Kitemark is very appealing to specifiers and buyers, not only in the UK but also in major export markets. As soon as the Kitemark Scheme for Microgeneration was announced we were, therefore, very enthusiastic about gaining a licence for PV products – and we are delighted to be the first company that has done so!”
“We are confident that this success will help us to further increase the sales of our PowerGlaz products which, in the six years we’ve been producing them, have already gained a strong reputation in the marketplace for quality, performance and value.”
Romag’s Kitemark for Microgeneration licence relates to BS EN 61215:1995, “Crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules. Design qualification and type approval”.
The licence was granted only after the products had been subjected to exhaustive testing, and the company’s manufacturing systems and methods had been carefully evaluated by independent inspectors from BSI. These procedures will be repeated at regular intervals for as long as Romag holds the licence, to ensure that standards are maintained and that purchasers of products bearing the Kitemark can always be assured of consistent quality.
“We’ve always found BSI to be a very supportive organisation to work with,” said Joe Paisley, “and it fully lived up to these expectations during the Kitemark licensing process for our PowerGlaz products.”
“As you might expect, with such innovative products and a brand new scheme, some non-conformities were flagged up, but these were quickly resolved and the BSI inspectors were exceptionally knowledgeable. The whole process was helpful in highlighting areas where we might be able to increase efficiency and cut costs. It’s not only the licence itself that brings big benefits – the licensing process itself is also beneficial!”
The BSI Kitemark Scheme for Microgeneration is available for both energy and power products. Energy products cover solar thermal and solar photovoltaic (PV), heat pumps (air source and ground source) and biomass heating. Power products include those that produce power that in turn produce energy, such as solar thermal and solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbines.
Included in the Kitemark scheme for these products will be full MCS certification as a UKAS accredited certification body for MCS (approval imminent). Certification to MCS is required by all installers and product manufacturers who want to be able to access the UK domestic government Feed in Tariffs (FiTs).
