Connecting the barn to the power grid has turned out to be quite the undertaking. UK Power Networks (UKPN) informed us that we needed to upgrade the 200-metre power line running down the farm, as well as the transformer up at the farmhouse. We had to decide whether a single-phase or three-phase connection would be more suitable. Initially, we thought a single-phase connection would suffice, but with the potential for electric cars in the future, a three-phase connection seemed more future-proof. UKPN was pushing us to decide on single or three-phase before providing a quote, which made it difficult without knowing the cost difference.
We later discovered an export limit on the energy we can sell back to the grid from any solar panels we install. As far as I understand it, the limit is on each phase, so having three phases would triple our maximum concurrent export. Since we are hoping for a large array, we need a three-phase connection to export enough energy. Upon further discussion with UKPN, they informed us that if we requested a three-phase connection to a certain level, the Government would cover some of the upgrade costs!
The official quote from UKPN was a pleasant surprise. We were informed that we would only have to pay for the connection to the power line positioned just by the land boundary, and all upgrade work would be completely covered. This saved us £30k, making the entire process much more manageable and ensuring our barn will be well-equipped for the future.