Methodology

Grid Signal Index™

The score behind your free screening report.

When you screen a site, the Grid Signal Index is the number you get back: a structured 0-100 framework that evaluates the energy infrastructure viability of a site. This page explains the methodology behind it. It is a screening signal to help prioritise sites and protect feasibility budget, not a precision capacity guarantee.

The index enables developers and investors to compare locations using a consistent infrastructure risk metric.

What the score weighs

Six grid factors, scored from national network data and combined into the 0-100 Index. The weighting is tuned to the project type you screen: a depot lives or dies on connection distance, a battery on export headroom and queue position. Every report shows the exact weights used for your site.

Available power

24-40%

Published headroom at the best connection point, discounted by data confidence and set against your project's estimated demand.

Connection distance

8-45%

Distance to the connection point that can serve the project. Weighted heaviest for depots and demand connections, lightest for land-led generation.

Connection queue

12-18%

Capacity already queued within 5 km of the site, competing for the same network headroom.

Planning constraints

10-30%

Designations within 500 m: flood zones, protected land, and policy constraints that shape consentability.

Battery competition

0-20%

Storage projects within 2 km contesting the same export capacity. Applies to battery and mixed-use screens.

Transmission backing

4-8%

Proximity and voltage of the transmission network behind the local connection point.

Project-specific factors join the set where they matter: agricultural land grade and land adequacy for solar screens, fibre proximity for data centres. Voltage requirements act as a hard gate at every size.

Index Risk Bands

67+

Strong

Grid position supports near-term deployment. Worth taking into a feasibility study.

45-66

Moderate

Viable with structured mitigation. Review the flagged factors before committing budget.

0-44

Challenging

Material constraints in the public data. Budget for deeper work before any commitment.

Available power acts as a gate: where the connection point cannot cover the project's demand, the band is capped regardless of how well the other factors score. Every report shows the exact path from weighted factors to the final band.

Live demo

The Index in use

A working example of how the Grid Signal Index is applied across a portfolio. Six tracked sites across UK markets, scored consistently, refreshed monthly. Select two sites to compare them in detail.

Live data feed Last refresh: today
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Demonstration data only. The sites shown are illustrative examples. Live Grid Signal Index scoring requires confirmed site location and is delivered through a Site Intelligence Report: your first screen is free, then £49 per report or unlimited on subscription.