Grid Impact Study
Assessment of how connecting a new plant or load affects the existing network.
Understand your impact on the grid
When a new generator, BESS or large load connects, the network operator needs to know the impact. NEWATT quantifies the effect on fault levels, voltages, loading, protection and power quality.
The study supports the connection application and demonstrates that the existing network stays within its limits after connection.
What the study covers
Fault-level impact
We assess the change in fault levels at existing network buses that results from connecting new generation or load, checking whether existing switchgear and protection remain adequately rated for the increased fault current the addition introduces.
Voltage impact
Steady-state and dynamic voltage effects of the new connection are assessed across the existing network, not just at the point of connection, since a new connection's impact can propagate to voltage-sensitive equipment some distance away on a weak network.
Thermal loading
Loading impact on existing lines, cables and transformers is assessed under the network configurations the new connection creates, identifying any existing asset that would be pushed beyond safe continuous rating as a result of the addition.
Protection impact
We assess how the new connection affects existing protection coordination and grading margins, since added fault current sources or changed network topology can shift fault levels enough to require re-coordination of protection that was correctly set before the connection.
What you receive
Power quality
Harmonic, flicker and voltage unbalance contribution from the new connection is assessed against the existing network's power quality baseline, confirming the addition doesn't push the network beyond the collective limits set by the grid operator.
Mitigation
Where the assessment identifies a constraint, we recommend reinforcement or mitigation measures — network upgrades, protection re-coordination, compensation equipment — sized to resolve the specific constraint identified rather than a generic reinforcement recommendation.
Standards
Grid impact studies are assessed against the regional grid code and the specific connection requirements the network operator sets for new connections, since acceptance criteria for impact studies are typically set by the operator rather than a generic industry standard.
Software
Studies are performed in DIgSILENT, ETAP or PSS/E using a network model that represents the existing system as accurately as available data allows, since impact study credibility depends heavily on how well the baseline network model reflects actual conditions.