Can't export - grid constraints?

That doesn't mean you can't benefit from battery storage.

Many commercial buildings sit near substations with little or no spare capacity for new solar generation — which usually rules solar out. But battery storage works differently: it's about lowering energy costs by reducing what a site imports, not exporting what it generates. CSIA identifies buildings where that gap makes a real difference.

Constrained doesn't mean closed

When a local substation has little or no headroom for new generation, most solar conversations stop there. It's a fair conclusion for solar export — but it overlooks something else: a battery that only ever discharges into a building's own use, rather than exporting to the grid, isn't asking the network for the same thing a solar export application is.

That means some of the buildings that look like the weakest solar candidates on paper are actually strong candidates for standalone battery storage — reducing peak demand charges and easing pressure on-site, without needing new export capacity at all.

We're not installers, and we don't design or deliver battery projects ourselves.

As with our solar screening, our role is to flag genuine potential and start a conversation — nothing more.

A note on what this isn't yet: this is an early, desktop-level indication based on published grid data. It tells us export is constrained — it doesn't yet confirm your site's own import capacity, which is a separate question we'd need real data to answer properly.

HOW IT WORKS

1. We identify

Alongside our solar screening, we check local grid data for generation headroom. Where a substation shows a real constraint, we look at whether the site could still benefit from battery storage instead.

2. We share what we found

If a site looks like a genuine candidate, we send over a short summary — including why solar export is constrained, and why that doesn't rule out storage.

3. We have a conversation

If it's of interest, we talk it through at a concept level — including what we don't yet know, like your actual import capacity and demand profile. If it makes sense to take further, we can help point you toward the right next step, but that's your decision.

WHY IT'S WORTH A CONVERSATION

  • A constrained grid connection isn't wasted information.

    It's often the reason battery storage makes sense, not a reason to stop looking.

  • No cost to find out.

  • Same as our solar screening — the initial look and the conversation that follows are free.

  • Honest about the gap.

  • We'll tell you plainly what's confirmed and what still needs real data — including your actual demand profile, which we can't know without it.