Commercial & Utility-Scale Grid Connections.
End-to-end grid connection support for commercial solar, solar farms, BESS and large-scale renewable energy projects across the UK. We manage the technical application, DNO liaison and connection process from initial assessment through to energisation.
The proposition
Grid connection shouldn't hold up your project.
Large renewable energy projects can quickly stall on network constraints, incomplete technical information, DNO queries and long assessment windows.
DNO Renewables acts as your dedicated grid connection team, managing the process on your behalf and keeping your project moving from early-stage feasibility through formal application, connection offer and commissioning.
Projects we support
Grid connections for renewable energy projects, whatever the shape.
From single commercial rooftops through to multi-MW hybrid schemes, we shape the grid connection around the project, not the other way around.
Commercial Solar
Large rooftop and ground-mounted PV connections for commercial and industrial sites. Technical application, SLD and DNO liaison handled end to end.
Solar Farms
Multi-MW generation projects from initial grid assessment through formal application, connection offer and energisation.
Battery Storage
Behind-the-meter and standalone BESS requiring import and export capacity, with connection strategy shaped around flexibility revenue.
Hybrid Projects
Solar + BESS and other generation/storage combinations on a single connection, with capacity, protection and export limitation coordinated together.
End-to-end connection process
From feasibility to commissioning, managed on your behalf.
We're not form fillers. We manage grid connections. You bring the project; we manage the connection.
Feasibility
Establish likely network capacity, constraints, indicative costs and timescales before committing to the project.
Connection Strategy
Determine the appropriate generation, import and export capacity and the right application route for the site.
Technical Preparation
Prepare the application package, SLD and the supporting technical information the DNO needs to assess the connection.
Formal Application
Complete and submit the appropriate G99 or Standard Application documentation to the relevant DNO.
DNO Management
Handle technical queries, regular chasing, engineer communication and progress tracking through the assessment.
Connection Offer
Support you in understanding the DNO's offer, restrictions and connection requirements before you accept.
Commissioning
Manage the required post-installation documentation through to energisation and connection sign-off.
Not every project needs every step. We'll start wherever your project is: early-stage feasibility, mid-application, or reviewing a connection offer you've already received.
Start with a grid connection feasibility study.
Before you commit significant time and capital to a project, we can approach the relevant DNO to establish what the network is likely to accommodate, and what that means for your business case.
Explore feasibility studies- Indicative import capacity
- Indicative export capacity
- Potential network constraints
- Likely reinforcement requirements
- Indicative connection costs
- Indicative timescales
Connection strategy
The application form is the easy part. The strategy behind it isn't.
On a utility-scale project, the important question isn't "can you complete our G99?". It's "what should we actually be applying for, and why?"
We help clients determine the appropriate application strategy based on the project's objectives, target revenue, and the DNO's likely position on the network, before the application goes in and hardens the numbers.
The right target capacity
Should you apply for the DNO's indicated capacity, or push for the full requested capacity? What's the trade-off in time, cost and reinforcement risk?
Firm, non-firm or flexible
Would a flexible or curtailable connection unlock capacity faster? How does that change the investment case and the revenue model?
Import vs export shape
For BESS and hybrid schemes, how should import and export capacity be structured to protect flexibility revenue and ancillary service participation?
Technical application preparation
The application pack, prepared properly the first time.
Utility-scale applications live or die on the technical pack. A weak SLD, a missing generation schedule or an inconsistent protection statement is the fastest route to DNO queries, delays and revised offers.
We prepare the application package end to end, then handle the design engineer queries when they land. Where specialist power-system engineering studies (harmonics, fault-level, detailed protection studies) are required, we coordinate with your consulting engineer rather than pretend to be one.
Depending on project requirements, we can support with:
- Standard Application Forms (SAF)
- Single Line Diagrams (SLDs)
- Generation schedules and equipment information
- Import and export capacity requirements
- G100 export limitation requirements
- Protection and settings information
- Supporting technical documentation for the DNO
What we do
- Deliver grid connections for identified sites and live opportunities
- Review DNO offers, reinforcement quotes and connection terms
- Lead grid workstreams into construction and commissioning
What we don't do
- We don't source sites or introduce land
- We don't broker or resell reserved grid capacity
- We can't guarantee that a connection is available on a site we haven't reviewed
If the starting point is a credible identified site, we can define the next stage quickly.
Don't accept a connection offer without an independent review.
A signed connection offer commits real money and locks in real restrictions. We'll walk through the offer with you, highlight the terms that matter to your business case, and help you identify the questions to raise with the DNO before you accept.
You don't need to have started the application with us to bring us in at offer stage.
What we look at
- Export restriction and firm vs non-firm terms
- Import restriction and BESS charging implications
- Connection voltage and point of connection
- DNO works, customer works and reinforcement scope
- Timescales, milestones and offer expiry
- Flexible or ANM connection requirements
- Protection and export limitation conditions
- Commercial terms and connection charges
Getting started
What we'll need from you to get started.
You don't need a finished design to have a first conversation. At the initial stage, the more we know the sharper our advice, but partial information is a fine place to start.
No final electrical design yet? That's fine. Speak to our team and we'll establish what information is required for the stage your project is currently at.
- Site address or approximate location
- Site boundary plan (if available)
- Proposed technology, solar, BESS, hybrid or other
- Indicative generation capacity
- Required import and export capacity
- Proposed equipment, where known
- Existing supply or connection information, where applicable
- Letter of Authority to correspond with the DNO on your behalf
Who we work with
Built for renewable energy professionals.
The same underlying service, shaped to the way your business already works.
Developers
Grid support from feasibility through connection, aligned to your development stage-gates.
EPCs
An outsourced grid team that supports your project delivery without slowing it down.
Commercial Installers
Technical application and DNO management without maintaining the expertise internally.
Energy Consultants
Specialist grid support that complements your existing client relationship, on a white-label basis where useful.
Working on behalf of your client?
We can also work as an extension of your business, managing the grid connection process behind the scenes while you retain the client relationship. Happy to discuss partnership arrangements with EPCs, consultants and multi-site developers.
Representative work
Examples of the utility-scale work we handle
Project names and details are anonymised to protect clients. Each example explains the situation and the decision it supported.
Rooftop portfolio
Feasibility across a multi-site commercial rooftop portfolio. Identified DNO constraint routes and reshaped the target export capacity site-by-site.
Ground-mount solar farm
G99 application for a several-MW ground-mount scheme. Pre-empted design engineer queries on protection and export limitation to keep the offer on track.
Standalone BESS
Connection strategy and G99 preparation for a grid-scale standalone battery. Import and export capacity structured to protect flexibility revenue.
Hybrid solar + BESS
Co-located hybrid scheme with protection coordination and G100 export limitation handled inside a single G99, avoiding a second connection offer.
Constraint & ANM review
Independent review of ANM and non-firm access assumptions before an investment decision, so the connection risk in the business case was explicit.
Offer letter review
Technical review of a DNO connection offer. Flagged reinforcement dependencies and challenged charging assumptions before the client committed.
Details anonymised. Happy to talk through comparable work in a call under NDA.
Bespoke project pricing
Every large-scale connection is different.
We'll review your project requirements and provide a fixed quotation for our scope of work before proceeding. No standard rate card, no false comparison with our sub-1 MW G99 service, just a scope shaped around the project in front of us.
Sub-1 MW project? View our fixed-price G99 application service.
Commercial & utility-scale grid connection FAQs
Are you a grid connection consultancy or just a DNO application service?
For utility-scale projects we operate as a grid connection consultancy. That means we help you shape the connection strategy, prepare the technical application, manage the DNO through assessment, review the connection offer with you, and then handle commissioning. The formal G99 application is one part of a larger process, not the whole product.
What size projects do you handle?
Commercial and utility-scale from around 1 MW upwards: commercial rooftops and ground-mount solar, solar farms, standalone BESS from 1 MW to 100 MW+, and co-located hybrid solar + BESS schemes. Sub-1 MW projects fit our standard G99 application service instead.
How much does a utility-scale grid connection cost?
Every utility-scale connection is different, so we price per project rather than from a rate card. Once we've seen the site brief, target capacity and stage of development, we come back with a fixed quotation for our scope of work before proceeding. Our fee sits alongside the DNO's own connection charges, which are set by the DNO and can vary significantly depending on reinforcement required.
How long does a utility-scale grid connection take?
DNO timescales are outside our control and vary considerably by network area, project size and local network constraints. We manage the process proactively, chase design engineers on your behalf, and pre-empt technical queries, but we won't promise timescales the DNO can't hold to. What we will do is keep you informed weekly and flag delays as they appear.
Can you help us before we've formally applied?
Yes, and often that's where we're most valuable. A grid connection feasibility study can establish likely network capacity, constraints, indicative costs and timescales before you commit engineering fees, planning fees or land option payments. Feasibility is usually the cheapest bit of the project, and the most useful.
We've received a connection offer. Can you review it before we sign?
Yes. We'll walk through the offer with you, flag the terms that matter to your business case (export restriction, reinforcement scope, timescales, connection charges, flexible or ANM conditions) and help identify the questions to raise with the DNO before you accept. You don't need to have started the application with us.
Do you handle standalone battery storage (BESS) applications?
Yes. Standalone BESS is a core part of what we do, from 1 MW commercial sites through to 100 MW+ grid-scale schemes. We handle the full connection process including import and export capacity, connection strategy, any ANM or curtailment arrangements the DNO requires, and the ongoing DNO liaison through offer and commissioning.
What about co-located solar and BESS (hybrid schemes)?
Co-located schemes are common and we handle them regularly. Hybrid sites share a single grid connection but need careful treatment of import versus export capacity, G100 export limitation where applicable, and protection coordination between the PV inverters and the BESS. We manage all of this within a single application where possible.
Do you do the electrical engineering studies as well?
We're a grid connection team, not a power-systems engineering consultancy. Where specialist studies are required (detailed protection studies, harmonics analysis, fault-level modelling) those are typically supplied by your consulting engineer or the equipment vendor, and we coordinate with them as part of the application. If you're not sure what your project needs, we'll tell you honestly at the outset.
Do you work with all UK DNOs?
Yes. We work across every UK DNO including UKPN, NGED, Northern Powergrid, SP Energy Networks, Electricity North West and SSEN.
Bring us your renewable energy project.
We'll help you navigate the grid connection, from feasibility to energisation.