Transmission

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.

As wind and solar ramp up in Europe and Great Britain, one thing becomes clear - clean energy works better when it’s connected.

Interconnectors are high capacity cables linking electricity grids between countries, and are critical to making the most of renewable power. They help move surplus wind across borders, balance supply and demand in real time, and can help reduce costs for consumers. The more we build, the more efficiently we can use clean energy across the whole of the UK and Europe.

In this episode of Transmission, Rebecca Sedler, Managing Director of Interconnectors at National Grid, joins Ed to explain how these workhorses of the energy system operate and why they’re set to play an even bigger role in the future grid.

Over the conversation, we’ll explore:

• How interconnectors enable cross-border power flows and real-time system balancing.

• How the UK moves electricity in and out of Europe in real time.

• The role of interconnectors in reducing curtailment and maximising renewable asset utilisation.

• Market coupling, price convergence, and the impact on system cost and consumer bills.

• How projects like LionLink could help build a North Sea power grid.

About our guest

Rebecca Sedler is Managing Director of Interconnectors at National Grid, where she leads the team responsible for the UK’s network of subsea links with Europe. With a background in energy trading and commercial strategy, she brings a systems-wide perspective to one of the most complex and essential pieces of our future electricity infrastructure. For more information head to the National Grid 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.

As wind and solar ramp up in Europe and Great Britain, one thing becomes clear - clean energy works better when it’s connected.

Interconnectors are high capacity cables linking electricity grids between countries, and are critical to making the most of renewable power. They help move surplus wind across borders, balance supply and demand in real time, and can help reduce costs for consumers. The more we build, the more efficiently we can use clean energy across the whole of the UK and Europe.

In this episode of Transmission, Rebecca Sedler, Managing Director of Interconnectors at National Grid, joins Ed to explain how these workhorses of the energy system operate and why they’re set to play an even bigger role in the future grid.

Over the conversation, we’ll explore:

• How interconnectors enable cross-border power flows and real-time system balancing.

• How the UK moves electricity in and out of Europe in real time.

• The role of interconnectors in reducing curtailment and maximising renewable asset utilisation.

• Market coupling, price convergence, and the impact on system cost and consumer bills.

• How projects like LionLink could help build a North Sea power grid.

About our guest

Rebecca Sedler is Managing Director of Interconnectors at National Grid, where she leads the team responsible for the UK’s network of subsea links with Europe. With a background in energy trading and commercial strategy, she brings a systems-wide perspective to one of the most complex and essential pieces of our future electricity infrastructure. For more information head to the National Grid 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.

As renewables dominate more of the UK grid, the role of gas is being fundamentally redefined.
It’s no longer the workhorse it once was, but we’re still going to need a lot of it. Even if gas makes up just 5% of electricity generation by 2030, we could still need around 35GW of capacity to back up wind and solar when the weather doesn’t play ball. Transitioning from today's two-shift, baseload model to one that acts more like a strategic reserve in an intermittent, renewables-driven system.

In this episode of Transmission, Tom Glover, UK Country Chair for RWE, joins the podcast to explore the future of gas in a net-zero electricity system, the realities of hydrogen and CCS retrofits, and what it will take to revive onshore wind in Great Britain.

Key topics include:

• Why the UK still needs 35GW of gas capacity, even as generation declines.
• What hydrogen and CCS really mean for the future of thermal plants.
• How gas is shifting from a baseload resource to a flexibility reserve.
• Why market design and investment signals must evolve for net zero.
• What’s holding back UK onshore wind and how to fix it.

About our guest

Tom Glover is the UK Country Chair at RWE, which operates Britain’s largest power generation fleet. With more than two decades of experience in the energy sector, Tom brings a wide-angle view of how the UK’s electricity system is changing from fossil fuels to renewables, and everything in between. He also chairs RWE’s UK renewables business and holds board roles at Energy UK and the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, making him a key voice in the country’s energy transition conversation.

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.

As renewables dominate more of the UK grid, the role of gas is being fundamentally redefined.
It’s no longer the workhorse it once was, but we’re still going to need a lot of it. Even if gas makes up just 5% of electricity generation by 2030, we could still need around 35GW of capacity to back up wind and solar when the weather doesn’t play ball. Transitioning from today's two-shift, baseload model to one that acts more like a strategic reserve in an intermittent, renewables-driven system.

In this episode of Transmission, Tom Glover, UK Country Chair for RWE, joins the podcast to explore the future of gas in a net-zero electricity system, the realities of hydrogen and CCS retrofits, and what it will take to revive onshore wind in Great Britain.



Key topics include:

• Why the UK still needs 35GW of gas capacity, even as generation declines.
• What hydrogen and CCS really mean for the future of thermal plants.
• How gas is shifting from a baseload resource to a flexibility reserve.
• Why market design and investment signals must evolve for net zero.
• What’s holding back UK onshore wind and how to fix it.

About our guest

Tom Glover is the UK Country Chair at RWE, which operates Britain’s largest power generation fleet. With more than two decades of experience in the energy sector, Tom brings a wide-angle view of how the UK’s electricity system is changing from fossil fuels to renewables, and everything in between. He also chairs RWE’s UK renewables business and holds board roles at Energy UK and the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, making him a key voice in the country’s energy transition conversation.

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.

As battery energy storage scales across Great Britain, the commercial model behind each project is becoming as critical as the technology itself. For developers, investors, and offtakers, securing the right revenue structure is key to unlocking finance, managing risk, and delivering bankable returns.

With revenue streams coming from a mix of merchant markets, capacity schemes, and ancillary service, navigating this environment requires a clear understanding of how different route-to-market structures allocate risk and reward. As capital becomes more selective, contract structure is now a core driver of whether projects progress or stall.

In this episode, Ed is joined by Victoria Upton, European Power Originator at bp. Over the conversation they discuss:

• Why tolling agreements are becoming a go-to model for de-risking battery revenues.
• How the optimiser you choose can make or break your floor contract returns.
• What virtual battery swaps offer as a flexible, asset-free hedging tool.
• The implications of co-locating solar and storage.
• How splitting large batteries into multiple BMUs unlocks revenue and control.

About our guest

Victoria Upton is a Power Originator at bp, working at the intersection of energy trading and commercial structuring for low-carbon assets. With deep experience in route-to-market strategies, Victoria plays a key role in developing and executing commercial models for battery storage and renewable energy projects across Great Britain and Europe.

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.

As battery energy storage scales across Great Britain, the commercial model behind each project is becoming as critical as the technology itself. For developers, investors, and offtakers, securing the right revenue structure is key to unlocking finance, managing risk, and delivering bankable returns.

With revenue streams coming from a mix of merchant markets, capacity schemes, and ancillary services -navigating this environment requires a clear understanding of how different route-to-market structures allocate risk and reward. As capital becomes more selective, contract structure is now a core driver of whether projects progress or stall.

In this episode, Ed is joined by Victoria Upton, European Power Originator at bp. Over the conversation they discuss:

• Why tolling agreements are becoming a go-to model for de-risking battery revenues.
• How the optimiser you choose can make or break your floor contract returns.
• What virtual battery swaps offer as a flexible, asset-free hedging tool.
• The implications of co-locating solar and storage.
• How splitting large batteries into multiple BMUs unlocks revenue and control.

About our guest

Victoria Upton is a Power Originator at bp, working at the intersection of energy trading and commercial structuring for low-carbon assets. With deep experience in route-to-market strategies, Victoria plays a key role in developing and executing commercial models for battery storage and renewable energy projects across Great Britain and Europe.

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 shift from traditional fuels to electricity presents one of the biggest infrastructure challenges of the energy transition. For industries like haulage, shipping, and logistics, accessing and managing gigawatt-scale electrical connections isn’t just difficult, it’s often the main barrier to progress.

Delivering timely, affordable, and scalable access to power is critical for accelerating electrification and enabling hard-to-abate sectors to decarbonise at pace.

In this episode of Transmission, Ed is joined by Mikey Clark, CEO of Reload Energy, to explore how the company’s “power parks” aim to solve this challenge by bringing grid-scale electricity access to where it’s needed most. From siting strategy to connection reform and workforce shortages, they dive into the infrastructure puzzle that underpins net zero.

Key topics include:

• Why hard-to-abate sectors are struggling to secure large-scale grid connections.
• How Reload Energy is unlocking gigawatt-scale access through its power park model.
• The logic behind co-locating energy and freight infrastructure.
• How grid delays, planning, and skills shortages are slowing delivery.
• Why fleet electrification could scale faster than expected and what’s needed to enable it.

About our guest

Mikey Clark is the CEO of Reload Energy .Before founding Reload, Mikey co-founded Pivot Power, where he led the development of a 2GW battery storage network that was ultimately acquired by EDF Renewables.

He has worked across infrastructure, R&D, and grid-scale storage.

At Reload, he’s focused on solving one of the most urgent challenges in the energy transition: how to connect new, high-demand users like HGV fleets, ports, and data centres to gigawatt-scale electricity, quickly and affordably.

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 shift from traditional fuels to electricity presents one of the biggest infrastructure challenges of the energy transition. For industries like haulage, shipping, and logistics, accessing and managing gigawatt-scale electrical connections isn’t just difficult, it’s often the main barrier to progress.

Delivering timely, affordable, and scalable access to power is critical for accelerating electrification and enabling hard-to-abate sectors to decarbonise at pace.

In this episode of Transmission, Ed is joined by Mikey Clark, CEO of Relode, to explore how the company’s “power parks” aim to solve this challenge by bringing grid-scale electricity access to where it’s needed most. From siting strategy to connection reform and workforce shortages, they dive into the infrastructure puzzle that underpins net zero.

Key topics include:

• Why hard-to-abate sectors are struggling to secure large-scale grid connections.
• How Reload Energy is unlocking gigawatt-scale access through its power park model.
• The logic behind co-locating energy and freight infrastructure.
• How grid delays, planning, and skills shortages are slowing delivery.
• Why fleet electrification could scale faster than expected and what’s needed to enable it.

About our guest

Mikey Clark is the CEO of Relode .Before founding Relode, Mikey co-founded Pivot Power, where he led the development of a 2GW battery storage network that was ultimately acquired by EDF Renewables.

He has worked across infrastructure, R&D, and grid-scale storage.

At Relode, he’s focused on solving one of the most urgent challenges in the energy transition: how to connect new, high-demand users like HGV fleets, ports, and data centres to gigawatt-scale electricity, quickly and affordably.

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.

Getting battery energy storage systems built isn’t just an engineering challenge - it’s a financial one.

While the technology is ready and the pipeline is booming, getting these projects financed remains one of the biggest challenges in the market.

From navigating merchant risk to structuring offtake agreements, financing a grid-scale battery project is a high-stakes balancing act.

In this episode of Transmission, Harrison Moore, Partner at Azure Capital, joins Wendel to unpack the financial side of energy storage in Australia, what’s working, what’s not, and what’s needed next.

Over the conversation, they discuss:

• The key steps and common roadblocks in financing battery project.
• How different commercial models impact bankability and investor interest.
• The growing appetite (and caution) from equity and debt providers.
• How policy shifts like the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) are influencing deal flow.
• Whether the Australian market has enough capital and advisory depth to keep up with demand.

About our guest

Harrison Moore is a Partner at Azure Capital, where he leads the firm’s work in energy and renewables. With over a decade of experience advising on mergers, acquisitions, and capital raising, Harrison specialises in structuring and financing large-scale infrastructure projects, particularly battery energy storage systems. His team has supported transactions totalling over 10GW of battery capacity, helping navigate the commercial, technical, and regulatory challenges that come with building grid-scale flexibility in Australia.

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. https://share-eu1.hsforms.com/1kDKOqrBjTpGU82n__HV7dQexu3k