The amendments to the Goverment Notice 52 of 2010 as amended by Goverment Notice 340 of 2015 and as further amended by Government Notice 1070 of 2017 concerns the registration of Solar Water Heaters, Solar Collectors, Heat Pumps, Photovoltaic Modules and Inverters for the participation in grant schemes.

The amendment to the Electrical Installations Regulations to cater for the safe operation as backup sources of battery storage and generators intended for parallel operation with the grid.

Amendments to Goverment Notice 52 of 2010 as amended by Goverment Notice 340 of 2015 and as further amended by Government Notice 1070 of 2017 -Registration of Solar Water Heaters, Solar Collectors, Air to Water Heat Pump Water Heaters and Photovoltaic Systems.

Amendments to the Electrical Installations Regulations

Government Notice 52 of 2010- Registration of Solar Water Heater, Solar Collectors and Photovoltaic Systems was published on the 15 January 2010 and introduced a scheme for the registration of solar water heaters, solar collectors and photovoltaic systems with the Regulator for Energy and Water Services. Mainly the registration scheme covers the following:

- Registration of sellers or retailers of solar water heaters, solar collectors and photovoltaic systems;
- Registration of equipment including certification of equipment and evidence of compliance with specified standards.
Government Notice 52 of 2010 was amended by Government Notice 340 of 2015. The main changes were as follows:
1. The certificate shall be valid at the time of registration and shall have an expiry date. In the case where a certificate does not have an expiry date, the modules will be listed for expiry 3 years from the date of issue of the certificate.

2. Installations shall be carried out by installers certified in accordance with Government Notice 404 of 2013 of the 14th May, 2013 for the installation of the relevant technology. Retailers shall notify the Regulatory of the installers and engineers with whom they have a contractual relationship. R
3. Inverters shall be accompanied by a letter from the distribution system operator (Enemalta plc) stating that the inverter model meets the certification, testing and connection requirements as specified in the network code.
Until such time that the network code includes such provisions, the following shall apply:
- as from the 1 May 2015, inverters shall be provisionally registered if they are certified by the third party certifying body as compliant with MSA EN 50438 or an equivalent¹ thereof when so considered by the Malta Standards Authority. G83/2 certification will be considered as equivalent to EN50438. In the case of inverters that do not fall within the scope of MSA EN 50438, G59/3 certification by a third party certifying body shall be accepted.
- inverters registered as part of PV systems with the Authority up to the 30 April 2015 shall continue to be such registered until the 31 December 2015, following which new registration shall be required.
Government Notice 52 of 2010 was amended by Government Notice 340 of 2015 and was further amended by
Government Notice 1070 of 2017. The main changes were as follows:
1. The introduction of a new equipment being the Heat Pump Water Heater.
2. The certification of such equipment of in terms of MSA EN16147 or Heat Pump Keymark Certification.
Government Notice 52 of 2010 was amended by Government Notice 340 of 2015. and was further amended by
Government Notice 1070 of 2017 and is proposed to be further amended by the following changes:
1. The introduction of a new equipment being Battery Storage. Such storage equipment is to be certified in accordance with the following standards, as applicable:
• Lead Acid Batteries shall be certified to EN 61056-1-2, BS EN 60896-11, 21 and 22 as applicable or an equivalent thereof when so considered by the Standards and Metrology Institute within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority;
• The lithium-ion shall be certified to IEC 62619 as applicable or an equivalent thereof when so considered by the Standards and Metrology Institute within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority;
• Flow batteries shall be certified to BS EN 62932-1-2 as applicable, or an equivalent thereof when so considered by the Standards and Metrology Institute within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority;
2. New inverters that may be registered to participate in grant schemes are to be of the Hybrid type compliant with Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/631 of 14 April 2016 establishing a network code on requirements for grid connection of generators and certified in accordance with EN 50549 .

The registration scheme is one of the measures to encourage better use of the energy generated in Malta through the use of technologies that reduce the use of energy or use of renewable sources of energy. Only equipment and retailers or sellers registered with the Regulator for Energy and Water Services may participate in grant schemes administered by the Regulator for Energy and Water Services The publication of this scheme was subject to public consultation on a national level and was notified to the EU Commission in accordance with the requirements of Directive 15/1535/EC.

Electrical Installations Regulations Amendments:

New Definitions:
“ backup equipment” means the additional hardware and control system other than the anti-islanding protection that disconnects the generators and/or energy storage from the distribution system and changes over to a backup operation mode;
“backup operation mode” means the disconnection from the distribution system and continuing operation of a generator or energy storage in the event of the loss of power from the distribution system with complete effective isolation from the distribution system while in this mode of operation;
“Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/631” means Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/631 of 14 April 2016 establishing a network code on requirements for grid connection of generators;”
“distribution system" shall have the same meaning as under the Electricity Market Regulations;
“ “energy storage” means, in the electricity system, the deferring of the final use of electricity to a moment later than when it was generated, or the conversion of electrical energy into a form of energy which can be stored, the storing of such energy, and the subsequent reconversion of such energy into electrical energy or use as another energy carrier;
“energy storage facility” means, in the electricity system, a facility where energy storage occurs.”;
interface protection system” means an automatic switch that disconnects the energy storage facility from the distribution system in the event of loss of supply from the distribution system or deviation of the voltage or frequency at the supply terminals from values declared for normal supply;
Minister" means the Minister responsible for energy;”;
“MSA EN 50549-1” means MSA EN 50549-1 Requirements for generating plants to be connected in parallel with distribution networks - Part 1: Connection to a LV distribution network - Generating plants up to and including Type B;”;
““new generator” means a power generating module which is not considered existing within the meaning of Article 4 of Commission Regulation 2016/631”.

Requirements for Generators operating in parallel with the electricity distribution system:
Generators operating in parallel with the electricity distribution system:
(a) shall comply with the Network Code; and
(b) a new generator shall comply with Commission Regulation and unless specified otherwise in the Network Code, shall also comply with MSA EN 50549-1 or an equivalent standard thereof when so considered by the Standards and Metrology Institute within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority;
(c) shall be provided with backup equipment when designed to operate in backup operation mode which backup equipment shall use hardware that physically breaks the connection with the distribution system. Solid state relays or other semiconductors to break the connection are not permitted:
Provided that the protection of the internal electrical installation shall remain functional also when supplied through the generator operating in backup operation mode.
The anti-islanding protection in all cases shall automatically disconnect from the distribution system in the event of loss of supply from the distribution system, and/or

deviation of voltage and/or frequency from normal supply conditions.
(d) There must be appropriate signage indicating the presence on the premises of a generator equipped with Backup operation mode function.”.
Requirements for energy storage facilities operating in parallel with the electricity distribution system:
An energy storage facility operated in parallel with the electricity distribution system shall include an interface protection system:
(a) that complies with the Network Code; and
(b) which, unless the Network Code provides otherwise, complies with MSA EN 50549-1 or an equivalent standard thereof when so considered by the Standards and Metrology Institute within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs
Authority;
(c) shall be provided with backup equipment when designed to operate in backup operation mode which backup equipment shall use hardware that physically breaks the connection with the distribution system. Solid state relays or other semiconductors which break the connection are not permitted.
Provided that the protection of the internal electrical installation shall remain functional also when supplied through the generator operating in backup operation mode.
The interface protection system in all cases shall automatically disconnect from the distribution system in the event of loss of the supply from the distribution system, and/or deviation of voltage and/or frequency from normal supply conditions.”.
(d) there must be appropriate signage indicating the presence on the premises of an energy storage facility equipped with backup operation mode function.”.