Transmission

The Balancing Mechanism is the Electricity System Operator’s (or ‘ESO’s’) main tool to make sure that supply meets demand every second of the day.

Whether you are new to the Balancing Mechanism or are looking to find out more about how the ESO navigates this complicated service - this episode provides a comprehensive look at the workings of the BM. Over the course of the conversation, guest host Ed Porter talks to ESO’s Head of Markets - Claire Dykta, discuss:

• An overview of the balancing mechanism, where it fits in the suite of available markets and how ESO manages the deployment of balancing mechanism units (BMUs).

• Insight into how the coming Open Balancing Platform (OBP) will make the scheduling and dispatch of assets more streamlined.

• How the fifteen-minute rule could change under coming updates.

• How ESO are ensuring route to market is fair in order to maintain confidence in the UK market for investors.

• Skip rates and what ESO is doing to clearly define them and reduce them where possible.

Related Articles

Behind the Balancing and Settlement Code with Aditi Tulpule (Elexon)

Keeping the lights on with Faye Relton and Neil Morgans (National Grid ESO)

About our guest

ESO is the the Electricity System Operator for Great Britain, making sure that Great Britain has the essential energy it needs by ensuring supply meets demand every second of every day. They are responsible for moving high voltage electricity from where it’s generated, through the energy system. For more information about what ESO do, head to their website.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy provides benchmarking, forecasts, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place.

Built for analysts, Modo helps the owners, operators, builders, and financers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain.

To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin or Twitter. If you want to peek behind the curtain for a glimpse of our day-to-day life in the Modo office(s), check us out on Instagram.

Renewable power is the future (and also the present) - but its buildout comes with plenty of challenges. From getting the public onside, to navigating policies and regulations, we’ve got a long way to go. To reach our goals, we’ll need a combination of technologies - some established, some developing and some still to be imagined. So, what do we need in order to build a brighter future?

In this instalment of our Modo Selects series, we are revisiting an episode from September 2022 with Hannah Staab - at the time, Head of Advisory for Europe, now Head of Strategy at Natural Power. Over the course of their conversation, she and Quentin discuss:

• The ongoing developments in co-location and the rise in combined ‘energy parks’.
• Making the most of increasingly sought-after grid connections through co-location.
• The locational challenges of encouraging behind-the-meter renewable uptake.
• Where hydrogen might fit within the renewable technologies space, the business case for it and how CfDs could work.
• A look at attitudes toward on-shore wind in Britain and much more.

About our guest

Natural Power is an independent consultant and service provider solely working on green energy projects. Since 1995, they have worked towards creating a better environment for future generations and provided expert advice for over 3,500 projects to help their vision progress. To find out more about what they do, head to their site.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy provides benchmarking, forecasts, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place.

Built for analysts, Modo helps the owners, operators, builders, and financers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain.

To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin or Twitter. If you want to peek behind the curtain for a glimpse of our day-to-day life in the Modo office(s), check us out on Instagram.

Renewable power is the future (and also the present) - but its buildout comes with plenty of challenges. From getting the public onside, to navigating policies and regulations, we’ve got a long way to go. To reach our goals, we’ll need a combination of technologies - some established, some developing and some still to be imagined. So, what do we need in order to build a brighter future?

In this instalment of our Modo Selects series, we are revisiting an episode from September 2022 with Hannah Staab - at the time, Head of Advisory for Europe, now Head of Strategy at Natural Power. Over the course of their conversation, she and Quentin discuss:

• The ongoing developments in co-location and the rise in combined ‘energy parks’.
• Making the most of increasingly sought-after grid connections through co-location.
• The locational challenges of encouraging behind-the-meter renewable uptake.
• Where hydrogen might fit within the renewable technologies space, the business case for it and how CfDs could work.
• A look at attitudes toward on-shore wind in Britain and much more.

About our guest

Natural Power is an independent consultant and service provider solely working on green energy projects. Since 1995, they have worked towards creating a better environment for future generations and provided expert advice for over 3,500 projects to help their vision progress. To find out more about what they do, head to their site.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy provides benchmarking, forecasts, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place.

Built for analysts, Modo helps the owners, operators, builders, and financers of battery energy storage solutions understand the market - and make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain.

To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin or Twitter. If you want to peek behind the curtain for a glimpse of our day-to-day life in the Modo office(s), check us out on Instagram.

Accounting for 20 percent of global energy consumption, industrial heat is a massive area in need of decarbonization.

Covering everything from pasteurisation to steel manufacturing, there are countless businesses that will need to step away from the current method of burning natural gas, in order to reach net zero goals.

In this episode, Quentin chats to James MacNaghten - CEO at Caldera - about how this can be achieved and what Caldera is doing to be part of the change. Over the course of the conversation, they discuss:

• The applications of industrial heat, how it has been achieved to date and types of things it is used for.
• A look into the simple yet effective technology that underpins Caldera’s product - using readily available and recyclable materials.
• How Caldera is delivering a cost-effective solution for industrial heat users.
• Why heat storage is necessary for filling gaps where lithium-ion storage is not the most optimal use case.
• James’ thoughts on decarbonising other areas of heat production.

Mentioned in the episode

A look at how the Caldera storage boiler is made.

Calderas current funding round on crowdcube - capital at risk.

About our guest

Caldera is on a mission to make zero-carbon heat the norm by developing technologies that pave the way for a faster and smoother energy transition. Caldera’s systems can replace or supplement any industrial or commercial fossil fuel boiler. For businesses that need process heat, they provide the same energy storage benefit as batteries more affordably and can generate steam, hot water or air.

For more information on what Caldera do - head to their website.

About Modo Energy

Modo Energy provides benchmarking, forecasts, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place.

Built for analysts, Modo helps the owners, operators, builders, and financers of battery energy storage understand the market - and make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain.

To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin. If you want to peek behind the curtain for a glimpse of our day-to-day life in the Modo office(s), check us out on Instagram.

Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (or REGOs) are certificates issued to generators of renewable electricity. Until recently they covered energy produced within a twelve-month period, but in 2022 a more complete and transparent hourly tracking system was introduced. In today’s episode, Quentin talks to Toby Ferenczi (Co-Founder & CEO at Granular Energy). Over the course of the conversation, they discuss

• What it really means to have 100 percent green energy and why it's not as simple may first seem.
• Why a more granular certification system could prove a more reliable and beneficial market revenue for battery energy storage.
• How Granular Energy are helping businesses to provide a more accurate and transparent picture of where their electricity is coming from.
• How guarantee of origin rather than price is a better gauge of carbon.

Mentioned in the episode

Granular Energy’s White paper with Nordpool and AFRY.

Modo Energy article on the carbon benefit of batteries in Great Britain.

Trading agreements for a brighter future with Vishnu Aggarwal Smartest Energy (SmartestEnergy).

About our guest

Granular Energy is a software provider that specialises in clean energy management solutions for utilities, energy managers, traders, and large energy buyers worldwide.

Their platform streamlines existing certificate management processes, automates the allocation of certificates to end-consumers, and optimises sourcing and trading of certificate portfolios. To find out more about Granular Energy - head over to their site.

About Modo

Modo Energy provides benchmarking, forecasts, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place.

Built for analysts, Modo helps the owners, operators, builders, and financers of battery energy storage understand the market - and make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain.

To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin. If you want to peek behind the curtain for a glimpse of our day-to-day life in the Modo office(s), check us out on Instagram.

Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (or REGOs) are certificates issued to generators of renewable electricity. Until recently they covered energy produced within a twelve-month period, but in 2022 a more complete and transparent hourly tracking system was introduced. In today’s episode, Quentin talks to Toby Ferenczi (Co-Founder & CEO at Granular Energy). Over the course of the conversation, they discuss

• What it really means to have 100 percent green energy and why it's not as simple may first seem.
• Why a more granular certification system could prove a more reliable and beneficial market revenue for battery energy storage.
• How Granular Energy are helping businesses to provide a more accurate and transparent picture of where their electricity is coming from.
• How guarantee of origin rather than price is a better gauge of carbon.

Mentioned in the episode

Granular Energy’s White paper with Nordpool and AFRY.

Modo Energy article on the carbon benefit of batteries in Great Britain.

Trading agreements for a brighter future with Vishnu Aggarwal Smartest Energy (SmartestEnergy).

About our guest

Granular Energy is a software provider that specialises in clean energy management solutions for utilities, energy managers, traders, and large energy buyers worldwide.

Their platform streamlines existing certificate management processes, automates the allocation of certificates to end-consumers, and optimises sourcing and trading of certificate portfolios. To find out more about Granular Energy - head over to their site.

About Modo

Modo Energy provides benchmarking, forecasts, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place.

Built for analysts, Modo helps the owners, operators, builders, and financers of battery energy storage understand the market - and make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain.

To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin. If you want to peek behind the curtain for a glimpse of our day-to-day life in the Modo office(s), check us out on Instagram.

Businesses grow and change all the time. Modo Energy is certainly not the same as it was when it first started out - or even a few months ago. Five years down the line Modo’s mission has become increasingly more refined and it is safe to say we have a clear vision of what we want to achieve. build the information architecture for the energy transition.

In the same week as launching Modo Energy 2.0, the podcast has also undergone a transformation. In the first episode of Transmission, Co-Founders Quentin Scrimshire and Tim Overton sit down for a special episode. Over the course of the conversation, they discuss:

• An overview of how the energy world has changed over the last 50 years and why data is vital to the future success of the energy transition

• Modo Energy’s strategy for being an integral part of that transformation, what it is aiming to achieve and where it is headed.

• The importance of user experience and listening to what your customers say (and don’t say!).

• Why culture really matters, especially when things go wrong.

• How highlighting what your mission is and pinpointing who your competitors really are - helps to focus goals.

About Modo

Modo Energy provides benchmarking, forecasts, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place, ensuring owners and operators of battery energy storage can make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain.

To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin. If you want to peek behind the curtain for a glimpse of our day-to-day life in the Modo office(s), check us out on Instagram.

Media and Communications are the frontline between business, the public and the government. Effective communication is instrumental in the energy transition, find out why in this week's episode. Quentin sits down with Juliette Sanders (aka. Killah Jules), Director Of Strategic Communications at Energy UK. Over the course of the conversation, they discuss:

• Juliette's career and role at Energy UK, what they do and who they represent.

• A brief look into the state of wind buildout and what happened at the latest IPCC assessment report (AR5)
• The importance of effective and engaging communications when trying to bring people along on the net zero journey.
• Why we still need to work on diversification and inclusion within the energy industry and how the TIDE taskforce is helping to tackle it.
• And of course - how Killah Jules is engaging the public and spreading the word about renewable energy!

Mentioned in the episode

• The Clean Growth Gap reports.
• Listen to Killah Jules on her youtube channel or check out her website for tunes and wind turbine jewellery!

About our Guest

Energy UK are the trade association for the UK energy industry with over 100 members including suppliers, generators, aggregators, flexibility providers, electric vehicle charging operators and software companies. They work with sector, government, regulators and wider stakeholders to champion a sustainable UK energy industry.For more information on what Energy UK do - head to their website.

Follow Juliette on LinkedIn or on Twitter.

About Modo

Modo Energy provides benchmarking, forecasts, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place, ensuring owners and operators of battery energy storage can make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain.

To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin. If you want to peek behind the curtain for a glimpse of our day-to-day life in the Modo office(s), check us out on Instagram.

There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to offshore wind generation. What goes on under the surface is just as important as what is happening above sea level. Likewise - there is a whole world of things going on behind the scenes to ensure that these mammoth structures not only function, but are profitable and managed properly.

In this episode, Quentin chats to Bailey Bradley (Managing Director at XceCo) for a very human insight into the sheer amount of work and decision-making involved in the process of bringing operations and maintenance as well as all asset management entirely in-house. Over the course of the conversation, they discuss:

• The founding story of XceCo and the hurdles faced when building a business model from scratch.
• Insight on selling one of the biggest offshore wind farms in the world of its time.
• The factors needed to consider when caring for a windfarm. There's more than meets the eye!
• The importance of a team in getting such a huge project over the line.
• The in’s and outs involved in being a comprehensive asset management company.

About our guest

With a huge number of years experience under their belt, the team at XceCo are a values led organisation, generating success working as one team. Providing all aspects of asset managements and O&M services for offshore wind projects and other renewable energy technologies. For more information, check out their site.

About Modo

Modo Energy provides benchmarking, forecasts, data, and insights for new energy assets - all in one place, ensuring owners and operators of battery energy storage can make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain.

To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin. If you want to peek behind the curtain for a glimpse of our day-to-day life in the Modo office(s), check us out on Instagram.

Demand Flexibility Service is back again for the winter! November 1st 2022 saw the rollout of the new Demand Flexibility Service. Thousands of people have already taken part in it - but what is the reason for this service? How is it implemented and what are the results so far?

In this instalment of our Modo Selects series, Ed chats to Kieron Stopforth - Origination Manager at Octopus Energy, to talk through the ins and outs of Demand Flexibility Service. Over the course of the conversation, they discuss:

• What is Demand Flexibility Service? How does it work and why has it been implemented?
• What has the response been like so far?
• Will Demand Flexibility Service be here to stay? Looking at the future needs for services like this.
• Initial thoughts on what is working well and areas that could be improved.
• And of course, how Octopus Energy fits in to all of this.

About our guest

Kieron works as an Origination Manager at Octopus Energy - an energy provider committed to 100% green energy, serving 3 million customers in the UK. Octopus are taking part in the new Demand Flexibility Service scheme, which was launched on 1st November 2022. To find out more about what they do, head to their website here.

About Modo

Modo is the all-in-one Asset Success Platform for battery energy storage. It combines in-depth data curation and analysis, asset revenue benchmarking, and unique research reports - to ensure that owners and operators of battery energy storage can make the most out of their assets. Modo’s paid plans serve more than 80% of battery storage owners and operators in Great Britain.

To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, podcasts, data visualizations, live events, and more, follow us on Linkedin.

If you want to peek behind the curtain for a glimpse of our day-to-day life in the Modo office(s), check us out on Instagram.