Martin Cotterell has been announced as the Chairman of the British Standards committee – BSI Committee GEL/82 Photovoltaic Energy Systems.

Working under the direction of the BSI British Electrotechnical Committee and the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee, the GEL/82 Committee is responsible for the UK input to the equivalent international committees (IEC TC 82 and CLC/TC 82) which set the standards for all elements of solar PV systems from the operation of the solar cells to the way the electricity generated is fed into the national grid.

Cotterell has significant expertise in the solar industry after setting up Cumbria-based Sundog Energy back in 1995. Commenting on the appointment, Richard Taylor, Standards Market Development Director at BSI, said: “Standards are the distilled wisdom of people with expertise in their subject matter and who know the needs of the organisations they represent.” He added: “Martin has been a valued contributor to GEL/82, for some time now and we are delighted to welcome him to his new role as Chairman. It is a very responsible and key position within our standards work and we look forward to a fruitful working relationship during his time of office”.

Cotterell welcomed his new position, stating: “I am delighted to take the reins for a while. The appointment is the culmination of years of commitment and involvement with GEL/82 and other industry committees in my quest to advance the use of solar PV as a technology. Chairing a community of experts from various backgrounds will undoubtedly be both challenging and rewarding”.