One of the biggest issues for many farmers and land owners is getting a connection to the National Grid – in particular finding out your grid connection cost.
In many parts of the UK there’s no capacity even available, meaning that no matter how much wind a site has, installing a 225kw or 500kw turbine like the ones Boythorpe Wind Energy supplies isn’t even an option.
So the big question is – how do you find out how much your grid connection will cost, or whether or not a connection is even possible at your wind turbine site.
The good news is it’s actually a relatively simple process.
To get an idea of how much your grid connection will cost, you need to apply for a budget estimate, or a budget quotation, from your local DNO, which is an acronym for ‘Distribution Network Operator’.
A budget estimate can usually be obtained a lot faster than a quotation, and is useful as a quick ‘rough guide’ to work out whether a wind farm is feasible at your location.
Asking for a Grid Connection Quotations usually involves a lot more (and quite complicated) form filling. Also, there can be a hefty fee to pay for a formal quotation – depending on who your local DNO is.
If you enquire with us about the possibility of a wind farm on your land, one of the first things we do is request an estimate, for the above reasons.
Provided that comes back within the realms of feasibility then we look to progress things with you.
About Your Local DNO
The Distribution Network Operators own and operate the towers and cables that transport electricity from the network into homes and businesses. They don’t sell electricity though – that’s done by the electricity suppliers.
A map of DNOs can be found online at…
http://www2.nationalgrid.com/uk/Our-company/electricity/Distribution-Network-Operator-Companies/
Once you know who your DNO is, you need to contact them and ask for a copy of their Grid Connection Budget Estimate/Quotation form.
So for example in our part of the world, North Yorkshire, Northern Powergrid are our DNO, and a copy of their budget Estimate request form can be downloaded from their website.
Complete and return the form to them so they can calculate and respond with an estimate.
That’s all their is to it, although of course it’s important to know you are talking to the right DNO for your preferred turbine location on your land, and it also of course helps to know how to complete the form DNO Budget Estimate Request form properly.
Get in touch with us if you would like help with any part of the above process.
Or if you already know you can get a connection and have good wind speeds then we can have a chat about what type of turbine you want and the revenues you can earn from it.