Transmission

The energy grid is facing a new kind of challenge: enormous, fast-arriving demand from hyperscale data centres, driven by AI and digitalisation.

These “giga-campuses” are no longer talking about tens of megawatts they’re applying for a gigawatt of capacity in a single location.That’s the same scale of demand Portugal expects to add across the entire country over a decade - now requested in one UK town.

For National Grid, developers, and policymakers, the question is urgent: how do you connect this demand without waiting 15 years for traditional reinforcements?

It is increasingly clear that the future of large-scale demand isn’t just about building faster, it’s about building smarter. Flexible connections, real-time load management, and accurate grid modelling will be essential to connect AI-era demand without crippling the network or wasting resources.

In this episode of Transmission, Ed sits down with Paul Manning, Commercial Director at Novogrid, about how real-time data and control can transform grid operations. From improving renewable integration to reducing connection delays, they explore the technology, market design, and operational shifts needed to build a more dynamic and efficient electricity system.

⚡ Why hyperscale data centres break the old rules for grid planning and capacity allocation.

⚡The bottleneck: why firm connections could delay projects for over a decade.

⚡ Flexible (non-firm) connections as a faster route and what this means for data centre operations.

⚡ How to align computational load with grid availability to avoid stranded assets and wasted capacity.

⚡ The role of grid analytics in de-risking curtailment and speeding up the transition

About the Guest

Paul Manning is Co-Founder and Commercial Director at Novogrid, a grid analytics company acquired by Danish energy services firm Opora. Novagrid specialises in modelling the energy grid and helping clients plan projects from “time zero” before a single cable is laid, to secure the best possible connection strategy. For more information, check out their website.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.

Sign up to the Modo Energy Weekly Dispatch for expert insights on energy storage, market shifts, and policy updates - delivered straight to your inbox every week.

The UK’s clean energy ambitions depend on more than just building wind farms and solar arrays they rely on the systems and schemes that decide how those projects connect to the grid and how they sell their power.

From the long-established Contracts for Difference (CfD) auctions to the upcoming Clean Power 30 reforms, the rules and incentives that have shaped renewable deployment are now under pressure.

With the volume of projects in the pipeline and 2030 targets approaching fast, the question is whether these mechanisms are fit for today’s pace of change.Without changes to connection processes and offtake frameworks, gigawatts of clean energy could stay stuck in the queue, missing climate deadlines and adding costs. Reforming these systems is critical to delivering the UK’s 2030 decarbonisation goals.

In this special Transmission × Energy Revolution Podcast crossover, Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, who has worked at the heart of government energy policy joins Modo Energy’s Ed Porter to explore:

• How today’s grid connection schemes work and where delays are building up.
• The role CfDs have played in accelerating renewables, and the limitations they now face.
• What Clean Power 30 could mean for developers, investors, and the wider market.
• The balance between speed, fairness, and system stability in connecting new generation.
• Lessons from inside government on designing schemes that actually deliver.

About our guest

Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett is a recognised leader in energy and climate policy. Formerly Head of Policy and Strategy for Renewable Delivery at the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and a Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge, he brings deep expertise in renewable energy systems, market design, and policy innovation. With a career spanning government, academia, and climate advocacy, Sulaiman has shaped strategies to accelerate the energy transition and unlock renewable deployment at scale.

Connect with Sulaiman on LinkedIn

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.

Sign up to the Modo Energy Weekly Dispatch for expert insights on energy storage, market shifts, and policy updates - delivered straight to your inbox every week.

The UK’s clean energy ambitions depend on more than just building wind farms and solar arrays they rely on the systems and schemes that decide how those projects connect to the grid and how they sell their power.

From the long-established Contracts for Difference (CfD) auctions to the upcoming Clean Power 30 reforms, the rules and incentives that have shaped renewable deployment are now under pressure.

With the volume of projects in the pipeline and 2030 targets approaching fast, the question is whether these mechanisms are fit for today’s pace of change.Without changes to connection processes and offtake frameworks, gigawatts of clean energy could stay stuck in the queue, missing climate deadlines and adding costs. Reforming these systems is critical to delivering the UK’s 2030 decarbonisation goals.

In this special Transmission × Energy Revolution Podcast crossover, Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, who has worked at the heart of government energy policy joins Modo Energy’s Ed Porter to explore:

• How today’s grid connection schemes work and where delays are building up.
• The role CfDs have played in accelerating renewables, and the limitations they now face.
• What Clean Power 30 could mean for developers, investors, and the wider market.
• The balance between speed, fairness, and system stability in connecting new generation.
• Lessons from inside government on designing schemes that actually deliver.

About our guest

Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett is a recognised leader in energy and climate policy. Formerly Head of Policy and Strategy for Renewable Delivery at the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and a Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge, he brings deep expertise in renewable energy systems, market design, and policy innovation. With a career spanning government, academia, and climate advocacy, Sulaiman has shaped strategies to accelerate the energy transition and unlock renewable deployment at scale.

Connect with Sulaiman on LinkedIn

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.

Sign up to the Modo Energy Weekly Dispatch for expert insights on energy storage, market shifts, and policy updates - delivered straight to your inbox every week.

Solar has never been cheaper, cleaner, or more popular. Across rooftops, fields, and industrial sites, it’s quietly reshaping the UK’s energy mix.

But momentum alone isn’t enough. Without faster grid connections, streamlined planning, and a stable policy environment, the UK risks falling far short of its solar ambitions.

The technology is proven, the economics are compelling, and the public is on board. What’s missing is the speed and scale of deployment needed to hit net zero targets. The next phase for UK solar isn’t about invention, it’s about removing bottlenecks, integrating storage, and creating the right conditions for investors to back projects at pace.

In this episode of Transmission, Ed is joined by Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, to unpack the challenges and opportunities facing the sector, and outline how the UK can shift from incremental growth to a genuine solar surge.

Over the conversation, they discuss:

• Why solar’s rapid cost reductions haven’t guaranteed rapid deployment
• The grid connection backlog and how to fix it
• How co-location with storage can unlock more capacity
• Why planning reform is critical for utility-scale solar
• The role of investor confidence in hitting solar deployment targets

About our guest

Chris Hewett is the Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, the trade association representing the UK’s solar and energy storage industries. With years of experience in policy, advocacy, and the renewable energy sector, Chris is at the forefront of shaping the market conditions needed for solar to thrive. He works closely with government, industry, and stakeholders to unlock barriers to deployment, promote co-location with storage, and accelerate the UK’s transition to a low-carbon power system. His insight spans everything from market growth trends to the regulatory reforms essential for scaling solar at pace. For more information - head to the Solar Energy UK website.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.

Sign up to the Modo Energy Weekly Dispatch for expert insights on energy storage, market shifts, and policy updates - delivered straight to your inbox every week.

Solar has never been cheaper, cleaner, or more popular. Across rooftops, fields, and industrial sites, it’s quietly reshaping the UK’s energy mix.

But momentum alone isn’t enough. Without faster grid connections, streamlined planning, and a stable policy environment, the UK risks falling far short of its solar ambitions.

The technology is proven, the economics are compelling, and the public is on board. What’s missing is the speed and scale of deployment needed to hit net zero targets. The next phase for UK solar isn’t about invention, it’s about removing bottlenecks, integrating storage, and creating the right conditions for investors to back projects at pace.

In this episode of Transmission, Ed is joined by Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, to unpack the challenges and opportunities facing the sector, and outline how the UK can shift from incremental growth to a genuine solar surge.

Over the conversation, they discuss:

• Why solar’s rapid cost reductions haven’t guaranteed rapid deployment
• The grid connection backlog and how to fix it
• How co-location with storage can unlock more capacity
• Why planning reform is critical for utility-scale solar
• The role of investor confidence in hitting solar deployment targets

About our guest

Chris Hewett is the Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, the trade association representing the UK’s solar and energy storage industries. With years of experience in policy, advocacy, and the renewable energy sector, Chris is at the forefront of shaping the market conditions needed for solar to thrive. He works closely with government, industry, and stakeholders to unlock barriers to deployment, promote co-location with storage, and accelerate the UK’s transition to a low-carbon power system. His insight spans everything from market growth trends to the regulatory reforms essential for scaling solar at pace. For more information - head to the Solar Energy UK website.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.

Sign up to the Modo Energy Weekly Dispatch for expert insights on energy storage, market shifts, and policy updates - delivered straight to your inbox every week.

We already have many solutions needed to decarbonise the grid, wind, solar, storage, and electrification solutions are proven and ready to go. But the real challenge now is speed: getting these technologies into the market, at scale, in a way that works for consumers, industry, and the grid.

It’s about optimising what we already have, removing bottlenecks, and aligning the policy, regulation, and market frameworks that will allow these solutions to flourish. From integrating heat pumps at pace to rethinking the incentives that drive investment, the next decade will be defined by how quickly we can turn ambition into delivery.

In this episode of Transmission, Guy Newey, Chief Executive of Energy Systems Catapult, joins Ed to explore where the UK’s focus should be, how to overcome the biggest barriers to scale, and why putting consumers at the heart of system design is critical to net zero success.

key topics covered:

• Why innovation, not just new inventions, will determine net zero timelines.
• How to integrate more heat pumps into the energy system at pace.
• The role of consumer-centric design in decarbonising homes and transport.
• What market reforms mean for investment and innovation in GB.
• Where policy and industry alignment is critical to scaling proven tech.

About our guests

Guy Newey is Chief Executive of Energy Systems Catapult, the UK’s innovation centre dedicated to accelerating the transition to net zero. With a career spanning government policy, think tank leadership, and industry strategy, Guy has worked at the heart of the UK’s clean energy transformation. He brings deep expertise in how markets, regulation, and innovation interact and how to turn proven technology into system-wide change. At Energy Systems Catapult, he leads efforts to design, test, and scale the solutions that will decarbonise heat, power, and transport while keeping consumers at the centre of the transition. For more information on what Energy Systems Catapult do - head to their website.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.

Sign up to the Modo Energy Weekly Dispatch for expert insights on energy storage, market shifts, and policy updates - delivered straight to your inbox every week.

We already have many solutions needed to decarbonise the grid, wind, solar, storage, and electrification solutions are proven and ready to go. But the real challenge now is speed: getting these technologies into the market, at scale, in a way that works for consumers, industry, and the grid.

It’s about optimising what we already have, removing bottlenecks, and aligning the policy, regulation, and market frameworks that will allow these solutions to flourish. From integrating heat pumps at pace to rethinking the incentives that drive investment, the next decade will be defined by how quickly we can turn ambition into delivery.

In this episode of Transmission, Guy Newey, Chief Executive of Energy Systems Catapult, joins Ed to explore where the UK’s focus should be, how to overcome the biggest barriers to scale, and why putting consumers at the heart of system design is critical to net zero success.

key topics covered:

• Why innovation, not just new inventions, will determine net zero timelines.
• How to integrate more heat pumps into the energy system at pace.
• The role of consumer-centric design in decarbonising homes and transport.
• What market reforms mean for investment and innovation in GB.
• Where policy and industry alignment is critical to scaling proven tech.

About our guests

Guy Newey is Chief Executive of Energy Systems Catapult, the UK’s innovation centre dedicated to accelerating the transition to net zero. With a career spanning government policy, think tank leadership, and industry strategy, Guy has worked at the heart of the UK’s clean energy transformation. He brings deep expertise in how markets, regulation, and innovation interact and how to turn proven technology into system-wide change. At Energy Systems Catapult, he leads efforts to design, test, and scale the solutions that will decarbonise heat, power, and transport while keeping consumers at the centre of the transition. For more information on what Energy Systems Catapult do - head to their website.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.

Sign up to the Modo Energy Weekly Dispatch for expert insights on energy storage, market shifts, and policy updates - delivered straight to your inbox every week.

Billions in private capital are looking to back clean energy in Australia. But connecting those dollars to real projects isn't as simple as it sounds.

From shifting policy environments to underdeveloped contracting models, developers and investors are navigating a fast-evolving energy landscape.

Getting projects built, whether transmission, generation, or storage, requires more than just a good business case. It demands the right financial structures, policy clarity, and risk-sharing mechanisms.

In this episode of Transmission, Belinda Cogswell, Partner at EY’s Energy Lead Advisory team, joins Wendel to unpack what’s working and what’s holding things back when it comes to financing Australia’s energy transition.

Over the course of the conversation, they discuss:

• ⚡ Why financial advisory has become central to delivering energy transition infrastructure.
• Belinda's role in the recently launched Waratah Super Battery Project.
• What’s missing in contracting models for large-scale renewables and storage.
• How to structure deals in the face of market reform, volatility, and rising complexity.
• Why better alignment between public and private capital is critical to net zero timelines.

About our guest

Belinda Cogswell is a Partner in EY’s Energy Lead Advisory team, where she advises on the financing and structuring of major energy transition projects across Australia. With a background that spans investment banking, infrastructure advisory, and public sector experience in the New South Wales government, Belinda works at the intersection of policy, private capital, and commercial delivery.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.

Sign up to the Modo Energy Weekly Dispatch for expert insights on energy storage, market shifts, and policy updates - delivered straight to your inbox every week.

#BatteryStorage #EnergyStorage #GridScaleBatteries #AustraliaEnergyMarket #RenewableEnergy

#EnergyTransition #FinancingRenewables #BatteryProjects #NetZero #CapacityInvestmentScheme

#MerchantRisk #WaratahSuperBattery

Billions in private capital are looking to back clean energy in Australia. But connecting those dollars to real projects isn't as simple as it sounds.

From shifting policy environments to underdeveloped contracting models, developers and investors are navigating a fast-evolving energy landscape.

Getting projects built, whether transmission, generation, or storage, requires more than just a good business case. It demands the right financial structures, policy clarity, and risk-sharing mechanisms.

In this episode of Transmission, Belinda Cogswell, Partner at EY’s Energy Lead Advisory team, joins Wendel to unpack what’s working and what’s holding things back when it comes to financing Australia’s energy transition.

Over the course of the conversation, they discuss:

• ⚡ Why financial advisory has become central to delivering energy transition infrastructure.
• Belinda's role in the recently launched Waratah Super Battery Project.
• What’s missing in contracting models for large-scale renewables and storage.
• How to structure deals in the face of market reform, volatility, and rising complexity.
• Why better alignment between public and private capital is critical to net zero timelines.

About our guest

Belinda Cogswell is a Partner in EY’s Energy Lead Advisory team, where she advises on the financing and structuring of major energy transition projects across Australia. With a background that spans investment banking, infrastructure advisory, and public sector experience in the New South Wales government, Belinda works at the intersection of policy, private capital, and commercial delivery.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.

Sign up to the Modo Energy Weekly Dispatch for expert insights on energy storage, market shifts, and policy updates - delivered straight to your inbox every week.

#BatteryStorage #EnergyStorage #GridScaleBatteries #AustraliaEnergyMarket #RenewableEnergy

#EnergyTransition #FinancingRenewables #BatteryProjects #NetZero #CapacityInvestmentScheme

#MerchantRisk #WaratahSuperBattery

As the grid decarbonises, our need for flexible, affordable, and longer-duration energy storage is growing fast. But are we overlooking some of the best tools for the job?

Whilst lithium-ion and pumped hydro dominate the energy storage conversation, thermal energy storage offers a low-cost, scalable alternative that could complement renewables at massive scale.

Explore how pumped thermal energy storage works, what makes it commercially compelling, and why it deserves more attention in the conversation around grid flexibility and net zero. In this episode, Alexis Dole, CTO at SynchroStor, joins Quentin. Over the course of the conversation they discuss:

• What sets thermal energy storage apart from alternatives like lithium-ion and pumped hydro.
• Why Synchrostor is betting on crushed rock and heat cycles over batteries.
• The storage challenge: balancing duration, cost, efficiency, and scale.
• How to design storage for real-world flexibility - not just peak shaving.
• Why the market undervalues long-duration storage and how that’s starting to shift.

About our Guest

Alexis Dole is Chief Technology Officer at Synchrostor, a UK-based company developing pumped thermal energy storage solutions. With a background in mechanical and energy systems engineering, Alexis leads the development of novel long-duration storage technologies designed to integrate clean energy more effectively into the grid. For more information on SynchrStore - head to their website.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets.

All of our podcasts are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on LinkedIn. Check out The Energy Academy, our bite-sized video series breaking down how power markets work.

Sign up to the Modo Energy Weekly Dispatch for expert insights on energy storage, market shifts, and policy updates - delivered straight to your inbox every week.