envelio, a smart grid software provider, has introduced its Grid Connection Navigator (GCN) application to the North American market. The tool supports early-stage interconnection planning by allowing users to evaluate available grid capacity, identify technically suitable sites, and estimate indicative connection costs.
The tool supports early-stage planning for projects with significant electrical demand, including electric vehicle (EV) charging sites, by allowing users to evaluate available grid capacity, identify technically feasible locations, and estimate indicative interconnection costs.
Utilities can reduce manual screening efforts while receiving more complete and accurate requests.
As distributed energy resources (DERs), transportation electrification, and large loads expand, interconnection queues have become a bottleneck.
Developers often lack clear insight into whether a site can support high-power EV charging, battery storage, or other large electrical installations. This uncertainty increases project timelines while utilities must process a substantial number of incomplete or speculative requests. GCN provides earlier visibility into grid constraints, allowing more informed technical decisions on both sides.
The application presents available capacity, potential siting limitations, and indicative upgrade costs before a formal request is submitted. Utilities can embed the Navigator in customer-facing portals to enable self-service evaluations.
Unlike static hosting capacity maps, GCN is updated with continuously refreshed data. It incorporates power-flow–based hosting capacity, seasonal variations, and time-series conditions. This level of granularity is particularly useful for high-power EV charging and flexible interconnection designs, where timing and variability shape technical feasibility and overall project economics.
Filed Under: Charging, Technology News