Transparency
Data sources & methodology
Gridscouter is a preliminary screening tool. It helps you decide where to look closer. It does not replace a grid connection study, land negotiation or permit application, and it is not endorsed by any grid operator.
How to read our labels
Taken directly from a published source: substation voltage and line routes as mapped, official parcels (Dutch Kadaster), Natura 2000 boundaries, planned projects with a source link.
Calculated by our models from indirect indicators: grid attractiveness scores, suggested project sizes, land suitability, sunshine and noise distances.
Not available to us: free grid connection capacity, queue position, landowner willingness to sell or lease, and whether a project will get a connection offer or permit.
Where the data comes from
| Data | Source |
|---|---|
| Power lines, substations, power plants, data centers | OpenStreetMap contributors (via Overpass / Geofabrik extracts) |
| Dutch battery projects | Curated list with per-project capacity sources |
| Planned infrastructure to 2031 | Hand-curated from TSO plans and project announcements; each item links to its source |
| Dutch land parcels | Kadaster BRK via PDOK (official) |
| Terrain and slope | Terrarium elevation tiles (open DEM) |
| Natura 2000 | European Environment Agency |
| Dutch heritage and flood data | PDOK national registers |
| Flemish heritage | Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen |
OpenStreetMap is community-maintained: coverage and voltage tags vary by country, and some substations are unnamed or missing. Grid, plant and score files are rebuilt when we refresh a country — they are snapshots, not live feeds. Land feasibility checks and the land finder query their sources live at the moment you run them.
How site scores are calculated
Every substation of 110 kV and above gets a grid attractiveness score from 0 to 100 for each technology. It is an estimate based on infrastructure indicators only. A high score means "worth investigating", not "capacity available". Voltage weights: 400/380 kV = 1.0, 220/225 kV = 0.75, 150 kV = 0.6, 132 kV = 0.5, 110 kV = 0.45.
BESS
35% voltage level · 35% solar + wind within 30 km · 20% line ends within 1 km · 10% little nearby hydro
Batteries tend to add most value where variable renewables are concentrated and the grid is strong. Hydro already provides flexibility, so heavy nearby hydro lowers the score slightly.
Solar PV
30% voltage · 30% sunshine (latitude estimate) · 20% flat terrain · 10% little existing solar within 15 km · 10% line ends nearby
Favours sunny, flat sites near strong substations that aren't already crowded with solar.
Wind
30% voltage · 40% wind resource proxy (ridge height, altitude, existing wind nearby; coast distance in flat countries) · 15% distance from large cities · 15% line ends nearby
No measured wind-speed data is used; the resource term is a proxy.
Data center
30% voltage · 25% line ends nearby (backup supply) · 20% proximity to large cities · 10% existing data centers within 20 km (fiber proxy) · 15% renewables nearby
Fiber routes aren't mapped, so existing data centers stand in for connectivity.
Suggested project sizes scale within a range per voltage level using the same indicators. For forecast years, planned lines, substations and plants are added and BESS scores are recalculated.
Land suitability
Land patches and finder results are scored from land use, slope, distance to the substation, road access and minimum size per technology (wind adds a 500 m building buffer). A suitable plot is not confirmed as available for purchase or lease.
Development opportunity score
A combined score that also includes permitting and connection status is planned. We will only add it once verified permitting and capacity data is available per country, rather than inventing weights for data we don't have.
What Gridscouter cannot determine
- · Available connection capacity or congestion at a substation
- · Your position in a connection queue or the cost of connecting
- · Who owns a plot, or whether they would sell or lease
- · Whether a permit will be granted
Always confirm with the relevant grid operator, land registry and local authority.