Describe the existing site
Prepare the site address, MPAN, a location plan, your existing connection agreement and the agreed import and export capacities. Identify existing solar, batteries, generators and other equipment. Gather a single-line diagram if available. If information is missing, make that explicit rather than substituting an assumed connection limit. A billing demand figure is not necessarily the agreed capacity.
Describe the proposed battery
Provide the intended power rating in kW or kVA, energy capacity in kWh, inverter details and applicable type-test evidence. Explain whether it will charge from the grid, charge from on-site generation, export, support site loads or provide other services. Include the proposed maximum import/export, the location of metering and any limitation scheme. These details allow the DNO to assess more than a nominal battery size.
Bring demand and generation evidence
Interval demand and generation data help reveal coincidence: when the site peaks, when solar output is high and when battery charging is proposed. Show planned EV charging or load growth separately from existing demand. The network operator may need to study worst-case operating conditions, rather than accepting a typical-day chart as evidence of available network capacity.
Separate enquiry from agreement
A network map or an early enquiry can inform feasibility, but it is not a capacity reservation or approval. Confirm the formal application route, design requirements, quotation, acceptance steps and commissioning obligations with your DNO. Discuss the programme for connection works and any dependencies. Do not commit to an avoided-upgrade saving until the relevant engineering and connection position supports it.
Keep a handover record
Before operation, identify who owns commissioning records, approved settings, drawings, protection information and operating instructions. Record how the limitation scheme fails safely and how changes are controlled. Agree who is responsible for ongoing operation and for notifying the DNO about material changes. Clear records are valuable when a site changes owner, installer or control provider.
Sources & further reading
Use current documents and confirm the requirements with your own network operator.
Created by Arcgrid. Educational information for commercial sites in Great Britain, not an engineering design or a guarantee of savings. Scenarios are illustrative. Northern Ireland has different connection arrangements.
Our editorial approach ↗