No neighbourhood transition gets off the ground without sufficient grid capacity: solar panels, heat pumps and charging points require an electricity grid that can absorb peaks. A medium-voltage substation costs a model neighbourhood around €1 million per year, including land use and maintenance.
The Transform method deliberately assigns no separate societal value to this task: that value materialises through the other energy tasks the grid enables, such as neighbourhood insulation and renewable generation. For municipalities drafting a neighbourhood implementation plan, grid capacity is therefore the first test — energy infrastructure sets the pace for everything that follows. Source: Transform Zuid-Holland.