Transmission

How AI Could Cut Energy Trading Costs - Tem Energy

Joe McDonald says close to 30% of a business power bill can go to trading desks, balancing costs and wholesale market fees most customers never see. Behind suppliers can sit five or six more intermediaries, each taking a cut before the energy ever arrives. Is that a market working as designed, or one taking more than it should? Joe is Founder & CEO of Tem Energy, and has spent over a decade inside the middle of the energy market, watching where the money actually goes on its way to the meter. He's now building the AI infrastructure to strip those middlemen out of the chain, with Tem already transacting over £1 billion a year across thousands of UK businesses, backed by a fresh Series B to fund expansion into Texas and Australia. They cover: Why up to 30% of a business energy bill can go to trading desks, balancing costs and wholesale fees layered behind the supplier. How forward market contracts fix energy prices for months or years and why "shape matching" between generators and buyers creates a shadow market worth billions. The P442 grid charging exemption, and why a change this small took two years to push through. Why Joe believes Tem's AI agents could remove around 90% of labor costs in energy transactions, and why he sees that trade-off as necessary. Tem Energy's plan after its Series B - expanding into Texas and Australia before Europe and the case for energy AI becoming the UK's next trillion-dollar industry. Want to dig deeper into where that 30% actually goes, or how forward contracts are priced? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst, for free sign up also gets you trial access to Modo Energy's research. You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday. Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Ed Porter - Director EMEA & APAC at Modo Energy. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:24 The Real Cost Layers Behind A Business Energy Bill 3:17 The Mechanics Of Forward Energy Contracts 5:25 Shape Matching Explained 6:35 The Shadow Market Behind The Grid 11:12 Pricing And Settling Energy Trades With AI 26:46 The P442 Grid Charging Exemption 36:29 The Slow Pace Of Energy Market Regulation 37:37 The Same Problem Across Global Energy Markets 38:36 Cutting Utility Operating Costs With AI 39:22 Comparing This Model To Octopus And Kraken 40:40 Joe McDonald's Contrarian View On Energy Markets 41:34 Cutting 90% Of Energy Labor Costs With AI

How AI Could Cut Energy Trading Costs - Tem Energy

Joe McDonald says close to 30% of a business power bill can go to trading desks, balancing costs and wholesale market fees most customers never see. Behind suppliers can sit five or six more intermediaries, each taking a cut before the energy ever arrives. Is that a market working as designed, or one taking more than it should? Joe is Founder & CEO of Tem Energy, and has spent over a decade inside the middle of the energy market, watching where the money actually goes on its way to the meter. He's now building the AI infrastructure to strip those middlemen out of the chain, with Tem already transacting over £1 billion a year across thousands of UK businesses, backed by a fresh Series B to fund expansion into Texas and Australia. They cover: Why up to 30% of a business energy bill can go to trading desks, balancing costs and wholesale fees layered behind the supplier. How forward market contracts fix energy prices for months or years and why "shape matching" between generators and buyers creates a shadow market worth billions. The P442 grid charging exemption, and why a change this small took two years to push through. Why Joe believes Tem's AI agents could remove around 90% of labor costs in energy transactions, and why he sees that trade-off as necessary. Tem Energy's plan after its Series B - expanding into Texas and Australia before Europe and the case for energy AI becoming the UK's next trillion-dollar industry. Want to dig deeper into where that 30% actually goes, or how forward contracts are priced? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst, for free sign up also gets you trial access to Modo Energy's research. You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday. Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Ed Porter - Director EMEA & APAC at Modo Energy. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:24 The Real Cost Layers Behind A Business Energy Bill 3:17 The Mechanics Of Forward Energy Contracts 5:25 Shape Matching Explained 6:35 The Shadow Market Behind The Grid 11:12 Pricing And Settling Energy Trades With AI 26:46 The P442 Grid Charging Exemption 36:29 The Slow Pace Of Energy Market Regulation 37:37 The Same Problem Across Global Energy Markets 38:36 Cutting Utility Operating Costs With AI 39:22 Comparing This Model To Octopus And Kraken 40:40 Joe McDonald's Contrarian View On Energy Markets 41:34 Cutting 90% Of Energy Labor Costs With AI

What Happens When Every Battery Market Gets Crowded? - Centrica Energy

Battery storage went from an unproven bet to one of Europe's fastest-growing energy assets in a but the exceptional returns early investors saw have already faded as more batteries crowd the market. The real question today isn't whether a battery can make money, it's whether an optimiser can keep making money from it, market after market, year after year. In this conversation, Brecht Dierckx, Director of Physical Asset Trading & Optimisation at Centrica, joins Ed to unpack what actually separates a good battery optimiser from an average one, and why pricing, contracts and risk are becoming as important as trading itself. They cover: - Why the exceptional early returns 2017–2018 battery investors saw are gone for good, and what actually lets some optimisers keep repeating strong performance while others can't - How battery revenue has shifted over time — from grid-support services, to adjusting trades as markets move, to buying and selling across multiple markets at once — and why each edge shrinks as more batteries chase it - Why pricing a battery deal is nothing like pricing a financial instrument, and how modelling different future scenarios (rather than simple averages) reveals the real value of holding a diversified portfolio - What project developers are actually asking optimisers for now — performance guarantees, profit shares, protection from regulatory changes — and why some of those guarantees aren't realistically workable - Which European markets look most promising for battery growth next, and how emerging grid restrictions could shape how much value new assets are able to capture Want to know how flexible connection agreements or grid restrictions are changing your battery's revenue forecast? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst Chapters: 0:00 – Battery Storage Returns Are Saturating 1:04 – Battery Optimisation Operational Excellence 2:22 – Repeatable Battery Storage Returns 5:43 – Ancillary Services Revenue Saturation 8:14 – Battery Optimiser Performance Benchmarks 10:08 – Small Vs Large Battery Trading Teams 14:25 – AI In Energy Trading 16:29 – Autonomous AI Battery Trading Risks 18:40 – Extreme Weather Impact On Energy Trading 21:49 – Best European Battery Storage Markets 24:13 – Battery Storage Toll Pricing 28:59 – Battery Portfolio Diversification Strategy 31:36 – Flexible Connection Agreements Explained 35:51 – Battery Storage Investment Guarantees 38:30 – Battery Storage And Grid Transmission

What Happens When Every Battery Market Gets Crowded? - Centrica Energy

Battery storage went from an unproven bet to one of Europe's fastest-growing energy assets in a but the exceptional returns early investors saw have already faded as more batteries crowd the market. The real question today isn't whether a battery can make money, it's whether an optimiser can keep making money from it, market after market, year after year. In this conversation, Brecht Dierckx, Director of Physical Asset Trading & Optimisation at Centrica, joins Ed to unpack what actually separates a good battery optimiser from an average one, and why pricing, contracts and risk are becoming as important as trading itself. They cover: - Why the exceptional early returns 2017–2018 battery investors saw are gone for good, and what actually lets some optimisers keep repeating strong performance while others can't - How battery revenue has shifted over time — from grid-support services, to adjusting trades as markets move, to buying and selling across multiple markets at once — and why each edge shrinks as more batteries chase it - Why pricing a battery deal is nothing like pricing a financial instrument, and how modelling different future scenarios (rather than simple averages) reveals the real value of holding a diversified portfolio - What project developers are actually asking optimisers for now — performance guarantees, profit shares, protection from regulatory changes — and why some of those guarantees aren't realistically workable - Which European markets look most promising for battery growth next, and how emerging grid restrictions could shape how much value new assets are able to capture Want to know how flexible connection agreements or grid restrictions are changing your battery's revenue forecast? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst Chapters: 0:00 – Battery Storage Returns Are Saturating 1:04 – Battery Optimisation Operational Excellence 2:22 – Repeatable Battery Storage Returns 5:43 – Ancillary Services Revenue Saturation 8:14 – Battery Optimiser Performance Benchmarks 10:08 – Small Vs Large Battery Trading Teams 14:25 – AI In Energy Trading 16:29 – Autonomous AI Battery Trading Risks 18:40 – Extreme Weather Impact On Energy Trading 21:49 – Best European Battery Storage Markets 24:13 – Battery Storage Toll Pricing 28:59 – Battery Portfolio Diversification Strategy 31:36 – Flexible Connection Agreements Explained 35:51 – Battery Storage Investment Guarantees 38:30 – Battery Storage And Grid Transmission

Can Britain Afford to Slow Down on Net Zero? - The CCC

This summer, Britain recorded its first ever four consecutive months of 35°C+ heat and according to the Climate Change Committee, the UK isn't ready for it, physically or emotionally. As political pressure mounts in the net zero debate over whether Britain should slow its climate transition, the CCC's chief executive makes the case that affordability and climate action are the same fight, not competing priorities. Ed sits down with Emma Pinchbeck, Chief Executive of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), to find out what preparing for a hotter Britain actually looks like, and why extreme heat has quietly overtaken flooding as the institution's top adaptation concern. They cover: Why extreme heat is now one of the CCC's top adaptation recommendations, with up to 92% of UK homes at risk of overheating by 2050. How solar and battery storage naturally track cooling demand, and why that strengthens the case for air conditioning becoming standard in UK homes. Emma’s case for accelerating rather than easing off decarbonisation, including data showing EV- and solar-equipped homes can save up to £1,900 a year on energy costs. Why UK electricity is priced roughly 4x higher than gas, well above the 2:1 ratio in countries that have successfully rolled out heat pumps. Why Emma argues cost-of-living and climate policy are "the same question," not competing priorities. Want to know why UK electricity prices are 4x higher than gas, and how that compares to countries where heat pumps have taken off? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI Analyst, for the market-by-market breakdown. Try Ko for free Transcript available here: Chapters: 0:00 Britain's Record-Breaking Heat 1:16 The CCC's Real Role vs. Government Policy 2:55 The Net Zero Speed Debate: Science and Political Pressure 4:38 Electrification and Household Energy Savings 9:55 Why UK Electricity Costs Four Times More Than Gas 12:57 Extreme Heat and the Case for Home Cooling 15:47 Solar, Batteries, and the Summer Cooling Demand Curve 17:34 Gas as a Strategic Reserve for Grid Security 22:43 The True Cost of Net Zero: £6.9 Trillion in Investment 25:20 Financing the Transition: Levies and Smoothing Costs 29:05 Why Demand Matters More Than Supply 31:03 Industrial Policy: Grangemouth, Port Talbot, and Manufacturing 35:27 Emma's Contrarian View: Cost and Climate as One Question 38:28 Closing Thoughts and Sign-Off Music licensed via Artlist. 🔔 Subscribe for more energy market analysis: / @modoenergy 🔗 Follow Modo Energy: → LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/modo-energy → Twitter/X: x.com/modoenergy

Can Britain Afford to Slow Down on Net Zero? - The CCC

This summer, Britain recorded its first ever four consecutive months of 35°C+ heat and according to the Climate Change Committee, the UK isn't ready for it, physically or emotionally. As political pressure mounts in the net zero debate over whether Britain should slow its climate transition, the CCC's chief executive makes the case that affordability and climate action are the same fight, not competing priorities. Ed sits down with Emma Pinchbeck, Chief Executive of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), to find out what preparing for a hotter Britain actually looks like, and why extreme heat has quietly overtaken flooding as the institution's top adaptation concern. They cover: Why extreme heat is now one of the CCC's top adaptation recommendations, with up to 92% of UK homes at risk of overheating by 2050. How solar and battery storage naturally track cooling demand, and why that strengthens the case for air conditioning becoming standard in UK homes. Emma’s case for accelerating rather than easing off decarbonisation, including data showing EV- and solar-equipped homes can save up to £1,900 a year on energy costs. Why UK electricity is priced roughly 4x higher than gas, well above the 2:1 ratio in countries that have successfully rolled out heat pumps. Why Emma argues cost-of-living and climate policy are "the same question," not competing priorities. Want to know why UK electricity prices are 4x higher than gas, and how that compares to countries where heat pumps have taken off? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI Analyst, for the market-by-market breakdown. Try Ko for free Transcript available here: Chapters: 0:00 Britain's Record-Breaking Heat 1:16 The CCC's Real Role vs. Government Policy 2:55 The Net Zero Speed Debate: Science and Political Pressure 4:38 Electrification and Household Energy Savings 9:55 Why UK Electricity Costs Four Times More Than Gas 12:57 Extreme Heat and the Case for Home Cooling 15:47 Solar, Batteries, and the Summer Cooling Demand Curve 17:34 Gas as a Strategic Reserve for Grid Security 22:43 The True Cost of Net Zero: £6.9 Trillion in Investment 25:20 Financing the Transition: Levies and Smoothing Costs 29:05 Why Demand Matters More Than Supply 31:03 Industrial Policy: Grangemouth, Port Talbot, and Manufacturing 35:27 Emma's Contrarian View: Cost and Climate as One Question 38:28 Closing Thoughts and Sign-Off Music licensed via Artlist. 🔔 Subscribe for more energy market analysis: / @modoenergy 🔗 Follow Modo Energy: → LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/modo-energy

How Poland Is Building a Renewable Power System - R.Power Renewables

Poland has cut coal's share of power generation from 95% to roughly 55% in a decade, with renewables generating over 30% of the country's power last year. That mismatch is already producing negative prices and turning battery storage into one of the country's biggest investment opportunities. Ed is joined by Tomasz Sęk, Founder and COO of R.Power Renewables, which holds a 1.7GW / 6.3GWh capacity-market-secured storage portfolio, one of the largest in Poland, to unpack how the country's power market is transforming. They cover: - Why coal's inflexibility, not its shrinking market share, is now Poland's biggest driver of negative prices and battery arbitrage. - How Poland's capacity market is evolving as de-rating factors and CapEx fall together, and what that means for the next wave of battery investment. - Why R.Power blends floor-plus-profit-share deals — including its new Axpo agreement — with full-toll contracts to balance risk and upside - How solar PPAs are evolving into Hybrid PPAs, as corporates like Amazon and Cisco look for more flexible, peak-shifted power - How R.Power plans to bring its 1.7GW / 6.3GWh capacity-market-secured portfolio online within 18–24 months, and what's setting the pace Want to go deeper on the Polish power market? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst, for the latest on Polish battery revenues, capacity market results, and grid dynamics: https://modoenergy.com/product/ko?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast_apps&utm_campaign=tomasz_sek&utm_content=ko_signup Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:08 Poland's Coal-to-Renewables Shift 1:57 Perception vs Reality of Poland's Energy Mix 4:52 Negative Prices and Coal's Inflexibility 5:58 Gas Peakers vs Battery Storage 7:45 Poland's Vertically Integrated Power Market 8:46 Day-Ahead vs Intraday Trading in Poland 9:54 Choosing a Route-to-Market Partner 12:06 Capacity Market Explained 13:21 R.Power's 1.7GW / 6.3GWh Portfolio 13:57 De-Rating Factors and Falling CapEx 17:00 Dunkelflaute and the Case for Gas 17:21 The Axpo Deal: Floor Plus Profit Share 19:51 Solar PPAs and the Rise of Hybrid PPAs 20:26 Multi-Technology PPAs and Peak Shifting 22:00 What's Slowing Poland's BESS Rollout 23:46 Poland's Grid Queue vs Texas and China 24:51 One Regulatory Fix: Faster Auctions 26:50 Poland's Cost Advantage

How Poland Is Building a Renewable Power System - R.Power Renewables

Poland has cut coal's share of power generation from 95% to roughly 55% in a decade, with renewables generating over 30% of the country's power last year. That mismatch is already producing negative prices and turning battery storage into one of the country's biggest investment opportunities. Ed is joined by Tomasz Sęk, Founder and COO of R.Power Renewables, which holds a 1.7GW / 6.3GWh capacity-market-secured storage portfolio, one of the largest in Poland, to unpack how the country's power market is transforming. They cover: - Why coal's inflexibility, not its shrinking market share, is now Poland's biggest driver of negative prices and battery arbitrage. - How Poland's capacity market is evolving as de-rating factors and CapEx fall together, and what that means for the next wave of battery investment. - Why R.Power blends floor-plus-profit-share deals — including its new Axpo agreement — with full-toll contracts to balance risk and upside - How solar PPAs are evolving into Hybrid PPAs, as corporates like Amazon and Cisco look for more flexible, peak-shifted power - How R.Power plans to bring its 1.7GW / 6.3GWh capacity-market-secured portfolio online within 18–24 months, and what's setting the pace Want to go deeper on the Polish power market? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst, for the latest on Polish battery revenues, capacity market results, and grid dynamics. Transcript available here Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:08 Poland's Coal-to-Renewables Shift 1:57 Perception vs Reality of Poland's Energy Mix 4:52 Negative Prices and Coal's Inflexibility 5:58 Gas Peakers vs Battery Storage 7:45 Poland's Vertically Integrated Power Market 8:46 Day-Ahead vs Intraday Trading in Poland 9:54 Choosing a Route-to-Market Partner 12:06 Capacity Market Explained 13:21 R.Power's 1.7GW / 6.3GWh Portfolio 13:57 De-Rating Factors and Falling CapEx 17:00 Dunkelflaute and the Case for Gas 17:21 The Axpo Deal: Floor Plus Profit Share 19:51 Solar PPAs and the Rise of Hybrid PPAs 20:26 Multi-Technology PPAs and Peak Shifting 22:00 What's Slowing Poland's BESS Rollout 23:46 Poland's Grid Queue vs Texas and China 24:51 One Regulatory Fix: Faster Auctions 26:50 Poland's Cost Advantage

Is Britain's Grid Ready for Clean Power 2030? - Roadnight Taylor

Most people assume Great Britain's grid connection queue works on a first come, first served basis. It doesn't - and that misconception is costing developers time and money. Connections reform was meant to bring clarity to the queue, but projects that were declared protected and pushed to the front are still missing their connection dates, and new contract disputes are now stalling projects that should already be moving. It all comes down to what actually gets built — and whether Britain can get anywhere close to Clean Power 2030. Catherine Cleary, Specialist Connections Engineer at Roadnight Taylor and a returning Transmission guest, joins Ed Porter to unpack what's really determining who connects to the grid, and when. They cover: - Why the grid connection queue isn't ordered by application date and how a 20MW battery project can end up waiting behind a nuclear power station for the same network reinforcements. - Why gate two offers under TMO4+ are going out with technical errors, and why fixing something as small as a typo can take months once you're one of hundreds of affected projects. - Why NESO's oversubscription numbers might be the wrong problem to solve, and what bay sharing could do instead. - Why data centres and other demand customers are pushing for independent transmission owner (ITO) status, and what Ofgem's latest signal means for future connections. - Catherine's contrarian take after 15 years in the industry: why Britain might be about to build too much grid, not too little. Want to go deeper on grid connections and battery build-out? Sign up for free to Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst https://modoenergy.com/product/ko?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast_apps&utm_campaign=catherine_cleary&utm_content=ko_signup Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:13 Two myths about the grid connection queue 2:05 Queue order vs. connection order: nuclear vs. battery example 3:34 The 4.9MW de minimis threshold loophole 4:12 TMO4+ and connections reform: from design exercise to rollout 6:41 Gate two offer errors and technical query delays 9:05 Clean Power 2030 deliverability under connections reform 13:37 Engineering capacity for 30GW of battery storage 16:01 Bay sharing and hybrid project connections 17:49 CMP470: the oversubscribed technology commitment fee 22:04 Co-location, AC/DC coupling and TMO4+ shortcomings for hybrids 25:15 Fixing TMO4+ for hybrids: the parent/child concept 28:05 Data centre and demand connections vs. generation 33:39 Politics, policy and the connections queue 36:35 Contract delays: the new longest pole in the tent 39:16 The case for independent transmission owners (ITOs) 41:50 Contrarian view: are we building too much grid?

Is Britain's Grid Ready for Clean Power 2030? - Roadnight Taylor

Most people assume Great Britain's grid connection queue works on a first come, first served basis. It doesn't - and that misconception is costing developers time and money. Connections reform was meant to bring clarity to the queue, but projects that were declared protected and pushed to the front are still missing their connection dates, and new contract disputes are now stalling projects that should already be moving. It all comes down to what actually gets built — and whether Britain can get anywhere close to Clean Power 2030. Catherine Cleary, Specialist Connections Engineer at Roadnight Taylor and a returning Transmission guest, joins Ed Porter to unpack what's really determining who connects to the grid, and when. They cover: - Why the grid connection queue isn't ordered by application date and how a 20MW battery project can end up waiting behind a nuclear power station for the same network reinforcements. - Why gate two offers under TMO4+ are going out with technical errors, and why fixing something as small as a typo can take months once you're one of hundreds of affected projects. - Why NESO's oversubscription numbers might be the wrong problem to solve, and what bay sharing could do instead. - Why data centres and other demand customers are pushing for independent transmission owner (ITO) status, and what Ofgem's latest signal means for future connections. - Catherine's contrarian take after 15 years in the industry: why Britain might be about to build too much grid, not too little. Want to go deeper on grid connections and battery build-out? Sign up for free to Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst https://modoenergy.com/product/ko?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast_apps&utm_campaign=catherine_cleary&utm_content=ko_signup Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:13 Two myths about the grid connection queue 2:05 Queue order vs. connection order: nuclear vs. battery example 3:34 The 4.9MW de minimis threshold loophole 4:12 TMO4+ and connections reform: from design exercise to rollout 6:41 Gate two offer errors and technical query delays 9:05 Clean Power 2030 deliverability under connections reform 13:37 Engineering capacity for 30GW of battery storage 16:01 Bay sharing and hybrid project connections 17:49 CMP470: the oversubscribed technology commitment fee 22:04 Co-location, AC/DC coupling and TMO4+ shortcomings for hybrids 25:15 Fixing TMO4+ for hybrids: the parent/child concept 28:05 Data centre and demand connections vs. generation 33:39 Politics, policy and the connections queue 36:35 Contract delays: the new longest pole in the tent 39:16 The case for independent transmission owners (ITOs) 41:50 Contrarian view: are we building too much grid?

Trailer: Transmission

Why Batteries Are Changing Faster Than the Industry Expected - Marek Kubik

Battery storage costs have fallen by two-thirds since 2022 and the cell chemistry currently dominates the grid barely existed at scale five years ago, and the same disruption could be about to happen again. Meanwhile, the supplier market is fragmenting rather than consolidating and the biggest names today aren't guaranteed to stay on top. Marek Kubik has watched these shifts happen from inside the industry since the early days. He joins Ed to explain why the balance of power in battery storage keeps changing, and what's coming next. They cover Why battery storage costs have fallen two-thirds since 2022 - and why that could be about to reverse. The real reason CATL's battery market share has dropped from 32% to 20%. Why sodium-ion batteries could repeat LFP's rapid takeover of grid-scale storage. How battery container design is changing again, from bigger cells to taller stacks. The battery duration limit everyone assumed was fixed - until 16-18 hour systems broke it. Want to dig deeper into battery cell chemistry and pricing trends? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:50 Saudi Arabia battery storage market update 02:16 UAE 24/7 renewable energy project 03:18 Solar plus battery storage economics explained 05:10 Battery storage prices: are we near the floor? 06:38 Lithium carbonate prices and battery raw material costs 08:22 Battery storage cost per kilowatt-hour explained 11:07 China battery prices and the race to $50/kWh 13:36 Sodium-ion batteries vs LFP: the next chemistry shift 21:18 CATL market share and battery supply chain competition 26:14 Battery procurement trends and container design innovation 29:39 Battery storage service, warranties and spare parts 30:54 Lessons from a decade in battery storage 32:09 Long duration energy storage and the Ofgem LDES scheme 34:48 How much renewable energy storage is enough? 38:18 Flow batteries, iron-air and CO2 energy storage 39:32 Sodium-ion's future in grid-scale battery storage

Why Batteries Are Changing Faster Than the Industry Expected - Marek Kubik

Battery storage costs have fallen by two-thirds since 2022 and the cell chemistry currently dominates the grid barely existed at scale five years ago, and the same disruption could be about to happen again. Meanwhile, the supplier market is fragmenting rather than consolidating and the biggest names today aren't guaranteed to stay on top. Marek Kubik has watched these shifts happen from inside the industry since the early days. He joins Ed to explain why the balance of power in battery storage keeps changing, and what's coming next. They cover Why battery storage costs have fallen two-thirds since 2022 - and why that could be about to reverse. The real reason CATL's battery market share has dropped from 32% to 20%. Why sodium-ion batteries could repeat LFP's rapid takeover of grid-scale storage. How battery container design is changing again, from bigger cells to taller stacks. The battery duration limit everyone assumed was fixed - until 16-18 hour systems broke it. Want to dig deeper into battery cell chemistry and pricing trends? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst: Read the companion article: [companion article link — TBC] Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:50 Saudi Arabia battery storage market update 02:16 UAE 24/7 renewable energy project 03:18 Solar plus battery storage economics explained 05:10 Battery storage prices: are we near the floor? 06:38 Lithium carbonate prices and battery raw material costs 08:22 Battery storage cost per kilowatt-hour explained 11:07 China battery prices and the race to $50/kWh 13:36 Sodium-ion batteries vs LFP: the next chemistry shift 21:18 CATL market share and battery supply chain competition 26:14 Battery procurement trends and container design innovation 29:39 Battery storage service, warranties and spare parts 30:54 Lessons from a decade in battery storage 32:09 Long duration energy storage and the Ofgem LDES scheme 34:48 How much renewable energy storage is enough? 38:18 Flow batteries, iron-air and CO2 energy storage 39:32 Sodium-ion's future in grid-scale battery storage

What Happens When The State Take Risks Private Capital Won't? - GB Energy

GB Energy's £1 million solar investment freed up savings a Hull hospital had left on the table for years. It's an example of what can happen when a state-backed investor takes risks the market won't. GB Energy calls itself an activist investor, built to put public money behind the frontiers where private capital moves too slowly: deepwater wind, long duration storage, public sector solar. The interesting question now is how far this model can scale, and how well it keeps sharing that risk with private capital as it grows. Dan McGrail, CEO of Great British Energy, joins Ed Porter to explain how Britain's state-owned energy company decides where to invest, and why it's taking on the risks private money won't take first. They cover: - Why the "activist investor" model can justify riskier bets than pure-return investors would take - and where that logic stops making sense - How to identify an investment "frontier": the areas of high ambition where private capital isn't moving fast enough to hit national targets - What a queue of 50GW+ in unsolicited co-investment enquiries reveals about investor appetite for state-backed risk-sharing - Why community-owned local energy can outperform national schemes on economic impact - one Orkney turbine now funds housing, buses and insulation - Why chasing niche global market share, not local content quotas, may be the smarter industrial strategy for competing with China Got a question about the build-out of batteries, solar or wind in GB or Europe? That's what Ko is for - sign up to try for free. Transcript available here You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday. Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Ed Porter - Director EMEA & APAC at Modo Energy. Chapters 00:00 £1m Solar Saving At A Hull Hospital 00:43 Guest Introduction: Dan McGrail, CEO Of GB Energy 01:11 GB Energy's Company Model And DESNZ Ownership 02:42 Investment Committee Discipline Vs Government Thinking 03:23 The "Frontiers" Strategy Explained 07:44 Floating Wind And The Deepwater Frontier 09:03 ScotWind, Rising Costs And Investor Confidence 12:33 Three Strategic Pillars: Offshore, Onshore, Local 19:56 Public Entrepreneurship Vs Maximising Profit 21:17 The Siemens Story: Why Private Capital Wants In 22:35 50GW Of Unsolicited Investment Enquiries 26:00 Electrically Qualified Workers And The Skills Gap 30:45 Shapinsay's Community-Owned Wind Turbine 34:34 Solar On Hospitals And Schools 37:16 Balancing Solar With Battery Storage 39:56 GB Energy's £8.3 Billion Budget: Progress So Far 41:14 Contrarian View: Industrial Legacy Over Cheap Energy

What Happens When The State Take Risks Private Capital Won't? - GB Energy

GB Energy's £1 million solar investment freed up savings a Hull hospital had left on the table for years. It's an example of what can happen when a state-backed investor takes risks the market won't. GB Energy calls itself an activist investor, built to put public money behind the frontiers where private capital moves too slowly: deepwater wind, long duration storage, public sector solar. The interesting question now is how far this model can scale, and how well it keeps sharing that risk with private capital as it grows. Dan McGrail, CEO of Great British Energy, joins Ed Porter to explain how Britain's state-owned energy company decides where to invest, and why it's taking on the risks private money won't take first. They cover: - Why the "activist investor" model can justify riskier bets than pure-return investors would take - and where that logic stops making sense - How to identify an investment "frontier": the areas of high ambition where private capital isn't moving fast enough to hit national targets - What a queue of 50GW+ in unsolicited co-investment enquiries reveals about investor appetite for state-backed risk-sharing - Why community-owned local energy can outperform national schemes on economic impact - one Orkney turbine now funds housing, buses and insulation - Why chasing niche global market share, not local content quotas, may be the smarter industrial strategy for competing with China Got a question about the build-out of batteries, solar or wind in GB or Europe? That's what Ko is for - sign up to try for free. Transcript available here You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday. Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Ed Porter - Director EMEA & APAC at Modo Energy. Chapters 00:00 £1m Solar Saving At A Hull Hospital 00:43 Guest Introduction: Dan McGrail, CEO Of GB Energy 01:11 GB Energy's Company Model And DESNZ Ownership 02:42 Investment Committee Discipline Vs Government Thinking 03:23 The "Frontiers" Strategy Explained 07:44 Floating Wind And The Deepwater Frontier 09:03 ScotWind, Rising Costs And Investor Confidence 12:33 Three Strategic Pillars: Offshore, Onshore, Local 19:56 Public Entrepreneurship Vs Maximising Profit 21:17 The Siemens Story: Why Private Capital Wants In 22:35 50GW Of Unsolicited Investment Enquiries 26:00 Electrically Qualified Workers And The Skills Gap 30:45 Shapinsay's Community-Owned Wind Turbine 34:34 Solar On Hospitals And Schools 37:16 Balancing Solar With Battery Storage 39:56 GB Energy's £8.3 Billion Budget: Progress So Far 41:14 Contrarian View: Industrial Legacy Over Cheap Energy

Why Would A German Battery Agree To Switch Off? - Green Flexbility

Germany looks like Europe's most attractive battery storage market on paper: deep power price volatility, a fast-growing renewables build-out, and nearly three gigawatts of batteries already live. In reality, developers are navigating uncertain grid connection queues, gruelling commissioning phases, and a tolling market still working out how much risk is fair to price in. Christina Hepp, Director Strategy, and Leandra Boes, Director Asset Management, both at Green Flexibility, join Ed Porter to unpack what building and operating batteries in Germany actually looks like once the PowerPoint slide meets the grid. They cover: - What a Flexible Connection Agreement actually is and why this kind of trade-off is fast becoming the norm in Germany. - Why grid operators and battery companies have historically struggled to "speak the same language", and how a shared framework like REGIOlink helps translate one side's needs into the other's terms. - What actually happens in the final weeks before a large-scale battery switches on for real: the software integration, testing and last-minute troubleshooting that never makes it into a press release. - Why choosing to sell power on the open market versus locking in a steadier, pre-agreed deal is a much bigger and riskier decision than it sounds - and why Green Flexibility is betting on the option most peers shy away from. - Just how enormous Germany's battery storage pipeline has become: enough grid connection requests queued up that regulators have had to start filtering out the projects that aren't actually going to happen. Want the data behind this conversation? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst:https://modoenergy.com/sign-up?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast_apps&utm_campaign=green-flexibility&utm_content=ko_signup Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:20 Common Misconceptions About Building Batteries in Germany 02:24 FID Prep and Commissioning: What Doesn't Make the Press Release 03:25 Flexible Connection Agreements (FCAs): The Ski Cannon Example 07:54 Germany's FCA Market Standardization 10:36 Battery Commissioning in Germany: Lessons From the Toughest Phase 14:29 Merchant vs Tolling: Germany's Battery Revenue Models 19:30 REGIOlink: Integrating Batteries Into Distribution Grids 23:11 Battery Data Sharing With Grid Operators 26:27 Germany's Project Development Shakeout 29:32 Co-Located Battery Projects: Pros and Cons 31:47 Germany's Zonal Pricing Debate for Batteries 34:32 Contrarian Views: Merchant Strategy and the German Power Market as "Barbie"

Why Would A German Battery Agree To Switch Off? - Green Flexbility

Germany looks like Europe's most attractive battery storage market on paper: deep power price volatility, a fast-growing renewables build-out, and nearly three gigawatts of batteries already live. In reality, developers are navigating uncertain grid connection queues, gruelling commissioning phases, and a tolling market still working out how much risk is fair to price in. Christina Hepp, Director Strategy, and Leandra Boes, Director Asset Management, both at Green Flexibility, join Ed Porter to unpack what building and operating batteries in Germany actually looks like once the PowerPoint slide meets the grid. They cover: - What a Flexible Connection Agreement actually is and why this kind of trade-off is fast becoming the norm in Germany. - Why grid operators and battery companies have historically struggled to "speak the same language", and how a shared framework like REGIOlink helps translate one side's needs into the other's terms. - What actually happens in the final weeks before a large-scale battery switches on for real: the software integration, testing and last-minute troubleshooting that never makes it into a press release. - Why choosing to sell power on the open market versus locking in a steadier, pre-agreed deal is a much bigger and riskier decision than it sounds - and why Green Flexibility is betting on the option most peers shy away from. - Just how enormous Germany's battery storage pipeline has become: enough grid connection requests queued up that regulators have had to start filtering out the projects that aren't actually going to happen. Want the data behind this conversation? Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst:https://modoenergy.com/sign-up?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast_apps&utm_campaign=green-flexibility&utm_content=ko_signup Transcript available here:https://modoenergy.com/transmission-podcast/0b5744a4-36e3-471d-bb95-16adefb96a93?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast_apps&utm_campaign=green-flexibility&utm_content=article_page Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:20 Common Misconceptions About Building Batteries in Germany 02:24 FID Prep and Commissioning: What Doesn't Make the Press Release 03:25 Flexible Connection Agreements (FCAs): The Ski Cannon Example 07:54 Germany's FCA Market Standardization 10:36 Battery Commissioning in Germany: Lessons From the Toughest Phase 14:29 Merchant vs Tolling: Germany's Battery Revenue Models 19:30 REGIOlink: Integrating Batteries Into Distribution Grids 23:11 Battery Data Sharing With Grid Operators 26:27 Germany's Project Development Shakeout 29:32 Co-Located Battery Projects: Pros and Cons 31:47 Germany's Zonal Pricing Debate for Batteries 34:32 Contrarian Views: Merchant Strategy and the German Power Market as "Barbie"

Why Renewables Are Changing How Power Gets Priced - Renewable Exchange

Many people picture a power purchase agreement as a 15-year mega-deal between a tech giant and a solar farm. In reality, 99% of UK PPAs look nothing like that. Power purchase agreements now sit behind a growing chunk of how the UK's electricity supply is sourced, and getting the price wrong could mean getting locked in well above the market rate for years. Ed sits down with Rob Ogden, Founder and CEO of Renewable Exchange - one of the UK's largest PPA marketplaces - to unpack how PPAs are actually priced, why REGO certificate prices have swung from over £20 to just a few pence, and what happens to Europe's ageing wind fleet as 20-year subsidies run out and thousands of turbines are pushed onto the merchant market. They cover: Why the "blue-chip" corporate PPA is the exception in a UK market dominated by short-term utility contracts, and how subsidy schemes from NFFO to CfD shaped that split. How negative and volatile power prices are forcing generators and off-takers to rethink how PPAs are priced and structured. The lessons from Covid and the Ukraine energy crisis on why locking into a 15-year PPA carries real pricing risk. Why matching thousands of small renewable generators with energy suppliers is such a hard problem to solve, and what it takes to build pricing infrastructure that can handle PPA demand spiking overnight. Why REGO prices have swung from over £20 to just a few pence, and the case for moving to 24/7 REGO matching. Want to see what future power prices look like right now? Head to Modo Energy and ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst — sign-up's free and takes seconds. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Is Your "100% Green" Tariff Really Green? 01:15 What People Get Wrong About Power Purchase Agreements 03:45 UK Power Purchase Agreement Market Structure 04:57 UK Renewable Subsidy History: NFFO, RO, FiT and CfD 07:16 PPA Regret: Negative Pricing and Value Erosion 09:49 Long-Term PPA Risk Through Covid and the Ukraine Crisis 14:32 Hybrid PPA and Flexibility Contract Structures 17:46 Renewable Exchange Origin Story: The Aberdeenshire Wind Farmers 19:53 Platform Scaling Pains: Rebuilding Three Times 22:41 Renewable Exchange's Impact on Consumer Energy Costs 24:30 Co-Located Solar and Battery Revenue Streams 26:58 REGO Explained: Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin 32:16 The Case for 24/7 REGO Matching 36:27 Expanding to Germany: Legacy Wind Assets and Repowering 41:13 Contrarian Take: Ending Renewable Energy Subsidies

Why Renewables Are Changing How Power Gets Priced - Renewable Exchange

Many people picture a power purchase agreement as a 15-year mega-deal between a tech giant and a solar farm. In reality, 99% of UK PPAs look nothing like that. Power purchase agreements now sit behind a growing chunk of how the UK's electricity supply is sourced, and getting the price wrong could mean getting locked in well above the market rate for years. Ed sits down with Rob Ogden, Founder and CEO of Renewable Exchange - one of the UK's largest PPA marketplaces - to unpack how PPAs are actually priced, why REGO certificate prices have swung from over £20 to just a few pence, and what happens to Europe's ageing wind fleet as 20-year subsidies run out and thousands of turbines are pushed onto the merchant market. They cover: Why the "blue-chip" corporate PPA is the exception in a UK market dominated by short-term utility contracts, and how subsidy schemes from NFFO to CfD shaped that split. How negative and volatile power prices are forcing generators and off-takers to rethink how PPAs are priced and structured. The lessons from Covid and the Ukraine energy crisis on why locking into a 15-year PPA carries real pricing risk. Why matching thousands of small renewable generators with energy suppliers is such a hard problem to solve, and what it takes to build pricing infrastructure that can handle PPA demand spiking overnight. Why REGO prices have swung from over £20 to just a few pence, and the case for moving to 24/7 REGO matching. Want to see what future power prices look like right now? Head to Modo Energy and ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst — sign-up's free and takes seconds. Transcript available here. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Is Your "100% Green" Tariff Really Green? 01:15 What People Get Wrong About Power Purchase Agreements 03:45 UK Power Purchase Agreement Market Structure 04:57 UK Renewable Subsidy History: NFFO, RO, FiT and CfD 07:16 PPA Regret: Negative Pricing and Value Erosion 09:49 Long-Term PPA Risk Through Covid and the Ukraine Crisis 14:32 Hybrid PPA and Flexibility Contract Structures 17:46 Renewable Exchange Origin Story: The Aberdeenshire Wind Farmers 19:53 Platform Scaling Pains: Rebuilding Three Times 22:41 Renewable Exchange's Impact on Consumer Energy Costs 24:30 Co-Located Solar and Battery Revenue Streams 26:58 REGO Explained: Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin 32:16 The Case for 24/7 REGO Matching 36:27 Expanding to Germany: Legacy Wind Assets and Repowering 41:13 Contrarian Take: Ending Renewable Energy Subsidies

The Truth About Battery Fires - Gore Street Capital

How dangerous are battery storage fires, really? Despite the headlines, grid-scale battery fire failure rates have fallen 99% since 2018 - from around 4 incidents per gigawatt hour to under 0.1. Even as global deployment scaled into the tens of gigawatt hours. Most people still picture a whole site going up in flames. The engineering tells a very different story. Dan Sherlock-Burke, Director of Asset Management at Gore Street Capital, joins Ed Porter for a technical look at how battery fire safety actually works - from the Moss Landing fire that shaped public perception, to the data that can flag a failing module weeks before it fails. He explains what really happens minute-by-minute when a cell enters thermal runaway, why most BESS fires trace back to operations rather than faulty cells, and why fire suppression isn't always the safeguard it appears to be. They cover: - Battery fire propagation: why "let it burn" is increasingly viable, and how modern container design has made fires spreading across a site vanishingly rare - BESS fire statistics: how EPRI's failure incident database shows a fall from around 4 incidents per gigawatt hour in 2018 to under 0.1 today, a 99% reduction - What causes battery fires: why only ~11% start with a faulty cell, while ~65% trace back to operations and integration - LFP vs NMC battery chemistry: lower combustion temperatures, no self-supplied oxygen, and why lithium iron phosphate still isn't "inherently safe" - Battery fire suppression: the contrarian case for why the wrong system can turn a fire into an explosion Ask Ko, Modo Energy's AI analyst, about battery storage safety and fire risk. Get started now. You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday. Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Ed Porter - Director EMEA & APAC at Modo Energy. 0:00 - What everyone gets wrong about battery fires 2:42 - Battery fire propagation and site design 4:04 - Moss Landing fire: what actually happened 7:04 - LFP vs NMC battery chemistry explained 9:04 - Why lithium iron phosphate isn't "inherently safe" 13:08 - Using data to catch thermal runaway early 15:53 - EPRI's battery failure incident database 16:27 - How battery fire rates fell 99% since 2018 18:58 - What causes battery fires: the 11% vs 65% split 23:26 - Why most battery fires go unreported 28:01 - Inside thermal runaway, minute by minute 34:44 - Fire suppression and the explosion risk 39:09 - The Liverpool battery fire 41:11 - Rethinking battery fire suppression