A standalone grid-services battery is a different class of project from a behind-the-meter install: it exists to earn, not to cut a site’s own bill. Two-hour-plus durations are increasingly specified as frequency-response markets saturate, and the asset is typically developer- or fund-backed, with the landowner leasing the compound.
The delivery scope is correspondingly larger. Full planning permission — and above NSIP thresholds an Environmental Impact Assessment — is required, along with fire-and-rescue-service consultation under NFCC grid-scale guidance, an HV or transmission connection agreement, and NESO market accreditation with the metering and response-speed compliance that goes with it. This is heavy civil, electrical and consenting engineering.
How we install standalone grid-services install
Delivery runs: site and grid feasibility; planning and, where needed, EIA; HV connection design and agreement; civils and HV switching compound; container/skid installation at scale; protection, SCADA and market metering; NESO accreditation and witnessed commissioning across the traded services.
What this install includes
- Front-of-meter or large behind-the-meter asset built to trade frequency response, the Balancing Mechanism, and wholesale arbitrage
- Full planning, HV connection, and NESO market accreditation as part of the delivery scope
- Two-hour-plus durations increasingly specified as frequency-response markets saturate
- Typically developer- or fund-backed; landowners lease the compound
Typical standalone grid-services install
- Power / capacity
- 1 MW / 2 MWh-20 MW / 40+ MWh
- Siting
- ground-mount compound
- Project value
- £800,000-£20m+
- Payback
- 8 years
Cost, funding and how it is paid for
A standalone grid-services install typically runs to £800,000-£20m+, with a 8-year simple payback once the demand-charge, self-consumption and resilience value is engineered in. As plant and machinery it attracts 100% AIA on the first £1m then a 50% first-year allowance on the balance — special-rate, so AIA, not full expensing. The 0% VAT relief covers only residential or relevant-charitable buildings. See the cost guide, capital allowances and grants and funding.
Fire safety, siting and compliance
Grid-scale siting is governed by NFCC grid-scale BESS planning guidance: fire-and-rescue consultation, separation distances, firefighting water and access, and detection/venting engineered into the compound layout, alongside PAS 63100 principles and BS EN 62933 system safety.
Full planning permission and, above NSIP thresholds, an Environmental Impact Assessment. NFCC grid-scale BESS planning guidance and fire-and-rescue consultation. Transmission/distribution connection agreement; G99 where DNO-connected. NESO market accreditation, metering, and response-speed compliance.
Grid connection and commissioning
For a standalone grid-services install, the DNO is the critical path. We submit the G99 application at survey, engineer a G100 limitation scheme where the network is constrained, and design the half-hourly metering so the control strategy and settlement are correct. Every install ends with a documented, witnessed commissioning and an O&M handover pack. Read our honest view on whether it is worth it.
Standalone Grid-Services Install: at a glance
| Attribute | Typical for this install |
|---|---|
| Power / capacity | 1 MW / 2 MWh-20 MW / 40+ MWh |
| Siting | ground-mount compound |
| Project value | £800,000-£20m+ |
| Simple payback | 8 years |
| Connection | G99 (G100 limitation where constrained) |
Get a free standalone grid-services install feasibility
Responds within one working day
- 1. Free desk feasibility from your meter data and roof, no obligation.
- 2. Site survey and a fixed-price proposal, itemised in writing.
- 3. Install and aftercare by MCS-certified engineers.
- MCS Certified
- NICEIC
- RECC
- TrustMark
Common questions
Can you retrofit a battery to our existing commercial solar?
Yes, and it is one of the most common installs we do. We measure your existing daytime export surplus and size the battery to it, then AC- or DC-couple the storage to your existing inverter and metering. A G99 variation (or new application) is usually needed for the added storage, with G100 limitation to stay within your existing agreed export capacity. Adding storage typically lifts self-consumption from 40-60% toward 80%+.
Do we need planning permission to install a commercial battery?
Behind-the-meter enclosures on an existing commercial site are often permitted development or a minor application, subject to size, siting, and listed-building or conservation-area constraints. Containerised and larger standalone systems increasingly need full planning permission and fire-and-rescue-service consultation under NFCC guidance, with attention to separation distances, firefighting access, and noise. We confirm the planning route in the feasibility study before any plant is ordered.
What is a G100 limitation scheme and when do you install one?
G100 is an export (and import) limitation scheme that holds a site within its agreed Maximum Import/Export Capacity, typically reacting within 15 seconds. We install one where the DNO connection is constrained: it lets a battery, and often new EV charging or production load, connect and operate without a costly network reinforcement or a long queue. The limitation and its protection are engineered, tested, and demonstrated at commissioning.
What certifications should a commercial battery installer hold?
Look for MCS commercial certification for the storage element, NICEIC or NAPIT electrical registration, demonstrable G99/G100 experience across UK DNOs, and design to BS EN 62619, BS EN/IEC 62933, and PAS 63100:2024. For container and larger installs, CDM 2015 principal-contractor competence and ISO 9001/14001/45001 matter. Ask to see a commissioning pack and a fire risk assessment from a comparable job, that is the real test of an installer versus a broker.
How is half-hourly metering set up for a battery install?
Behind-the-meter control and settlement depend on accurate half-hourly measurement. We design the CT and metering arrangement so the control system sees site import, export, generation, and the battery correctly, and coordinate any meter change with your supplier or meter operator. Getting the measurement design right at install stage is what makes peak-shaving and G100 limitation actually work in service.