Transmission

The energy grid needs reliable, carbon-free power around the clock and geothermal might be the most underestimated solution on the table. A century of oil and gas expertise is now being repurposed to unlock heat sitting beneath our feet almost anywhere on Earth, and in doing so, it's also unlocking a new form of long-duration energy storage that requires no mountain, no reservoir, and no battery chemistry.

In this episode, host Alejandro Diego sits down with Cindy Taff, CEO of Sage Geo Systems. Together they explore how Sage is moving beyond the geological constraints of conventional geothermal, what it takes to engineer a reservoir from scratch, how their underground pressure storage system works like an inverted pumped hydro plant, and why companies like Meta and the US Department of Defense are already signing on.

You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Alejandro De Diego - US Market Analyst

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage understand the market — and make the most out of their assets. Want all the latest power market news? Sign up for our free Weekly Dispatch newsletter:

https://bit.ly/TheWeeklyDispatch

Chapters:

00:00 Next-gen geothermal intro

01:49 Cindy Taff background

04:51 Geothermal opportunity

07:19 Conventional geothermal limits

08:39 How geothermal works

10:38 Geothermal grid baseload

11:44 US heat resource map

13:13 Oil and gas drilling tech

16:50 Discovering underground storage

17:21 Earth Store technology

18:07 Storage capacity explained

19:35 Fast dispatch no degradation

21:42 Pelton turbine explained

23:47 Why viable now

25:30 Energy storage business model

27:12 Target customers

28:27 Development obstacles

29:52 Permitting process

31:36 Meta 150MW deal

33:41 5.5 terawatt potential

36:17 Grid transformation impact

37:49 What drives Cindy

39:16 Direct heating use case

40:30 Sage 2035 milestones

42:20 Energy expansion contrarian view

The energy grid needs reliable, carbon-free power around the clock and geothermal might be the most underestimated solution on the table. A century of oil and gas expertise is now being repurposed to unlock heat sitting beneath our feet almost anywhere on Earth, and in doing so, it's also unlocking a new form of long-duration energy storage that requires no mountain, no reservoir, and no battery chemistry.

In this episode, host Alejandro Diego sits down with Cindy Taff, CEO of Sage Geo Systems. Together they explore how Sage is moving beyond the geological constraints of conventional geothermal, what it takes to engineer a reservoir from scratch, how their underground pressure storage system works like an inverted pumped hydro plant, and why companies like Meta and the US Department of Defense are already signing on.

You can watch or listen to new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

Transmission is a Modo Energy production. Your host is Alejandro De Diego - US Market Analyst

Modo Energy helps the owners, operators, builders, and financiers of battery energy storage understand the market — and make the most out of their assets. Want all the latest power market news? Sign up for our free Weekly Dispatch newsletter:

https://bit.ly/TheWeeklyDispatch

Chapters:

00:00 Next-gen geothermal intro

01:49 Cindy Taff background

04:51 Geothermal opportunity

07:19 Conventional geothermal limits

08:39 How geothermal works

10:38 Geothermal grid baseload

11:44 US heat resource map

13:13 Oil and gas drilling tech

16:50 Discovering underground storage

17:21 Earth Store technology

18:07 Storage capacity explained

19:35 Fast dispatch no degradation

21:42 Pelton turbine explained

23:47 Why viable now

25:30 Energy storage business model

27:12 Target customers

28:27 Development obstacles

29:52 Permitting process

31:36 Meta 150MW deal

33:41 5.5 terawatt potential

36:17 Grid transformation impact

37:49 What drives Cindy

39:16 Direct heating use case

40:30 Sage 2035 milestones

42:20 Energy expansion contrarian view

How a battery gets optimised, from the moment a contract is signed to the millisecond a trade is placed, is still a black box for most people in the industry. Understanding that process is the difference between leaving money on the table and extracting maximum value from every asset.

In this episode of Transmission, Ed Porter is joined by Fabrizio Fenu, Head of Business Development at EDF UK. They pull back the curtain on how battery optimisation actually works at scale: how assets are treated fairly across a large portfolio, why merchant, floor and tolling contracts suit different investors, what role AI and algorithms play on a live trading desk, and why co-located solar and battery projects are harder to finance than they look.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: Optimising 5GW

01:18 EDF's Battery Business

01:47 5GW Portfolio Scale

02:25 From 50kW to Commercial

04:44 Inside the Trading Floor

06:22 Winning Big Battery Contracts

08:01 Debt and Revenue Certainty

09:21 Merchant vs Floor vs Toll

11:05 Optimiser Market Consolidation

13:39 AI in Energy Trading

16:10 Energy Careers Advice

17:57 Fair Asset Treatment

19:25 Day-Ahead and Ancillary Markets

22:45 Enduring Auction Capability Explained

25:51 Intraday Pricing and Indexing

28:37 Perfect Battery Asset Quickfire

31:45 Co-location Solar and Battery

35:12 Battery Retrofitting Explained

36:21 Connection Reform and Scale

37:37 Simplify the Energy Industry

How a battery gets optimised, from the moment a contract is signed to the millisecond a trade is placed, is still a black box for most people in the industry. Understanding that process is the difference between leaving money on the table and extracting maximum value from every asset.

In this episode of Transmission, Ed Porter is joined by Fabrizio Fenu, Head of Business Development at EDF UK. They pull back the curtain on how battery optimisation actually works at scale: how assets are treated fairly across a large portfolio, why merchant, floor and tolling contracts suit different investors, what role AI and algorithms play on a live trading desk, and why co-located solar and battery projects are harder to finance than they look.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: Optimising 5GW

01:18 EDF's Battery Business

01:47 5GW Portfolio Scale

02:25 From 50kW to Commercial

04:44 Inside the Trading Floor

06:22 Winning Big Battery Contracts

08:01 Debt and Revenue Certainty

09:21 Merchant vs Floor vs Toll

11:05 Optimiser Market Consolidation

13:39 AI in Energy Trading

16:10 Energy Careers Advice

17:57 Fair Asset Treatment

19:25 Day-Ahead and Ancillary Markets

22:45 Enduring Auction Capability Explained

25:51 Intraday Pricing and Indexing

28:37 Perfect Battery Asset Quickfire

31:45 Co-location Solar and Battery

35:12 Battery Retrofitting Explained

36:21 Connection Reform and Scale

37:37 Simplify the Energy Industry

The energy grid fails in silence, long before the lights go out. The real problem is that most of the infrastructure keeping the grid alive is inspected too slowly, too infrequently, and with sensors that drift. We pour billions into building new power infrastructure, yet some of our biggest reliability gains might come from simply seeing existing assets more clearly. Quantum sensing promises exactly that, and it is closer to deployment than most people realise.

In this conversation, Alex sits down with Emma Wong, Nuclear Principal Lead for Innovation, Quantum Technologies, and International Engagement at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), to explore how quantum sensing technology could transform grid reliability, reduce costly downtime at nuclear plants, and reshape how we think about energy security, from US utilities to communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Chapters

00:00 Seeing Problems Early

01:53 EPRI's Mission

03:34 Into Nuclear Innovation

06:27 Quantum Technologies Overview

09:15 How Quantum Sensors Work

12:33 No-Drift Sensing Advantage

15:34 Real World Applications

22:21 Cutting Nuclear Downtime

25:20 Utility Pilot Programs

26:15 Quantum Meets AI

32:29 Key Stakeholders for Quantum

35:37 Nuclear in a Renewable Grid

41:43 Modern Reactor Safety

46:43 G20 Nuclear Summit

48:43 Energy Access in Africa

53:22 Contrarian Energy Take

#Nuclear #QuantumTechnology #EnergyTransition #CleanEnergy #FutureOfEnergy

The energy grid fails in silence, long before the lights go out. The real problem is that most of the infrastructure keeping the grid alive is inspected too slowly, too infrequently, and with sensors that drift. We pour billions into building new power infrastructure, yet some of our biggest reliability gains might come from simply seeing existing assets more clearly. Quantum sensing promises exactly that, and it is closer to deployment than most people realise.

In this conversation, Alex sits down with Emma Wong, Nuclear Principal Lead for Innovation, Quantum Technologies, and International Engagement at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), to explore how quantum sensing technology could transform grid reliability, reduce costly downtime at nuclear plants, and reshape how we think about energy security, from US utilities to communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Chapters

00:00 Seeing Problems Early

01:53 EPRI's Mission

03:34 Into Nuclear Innovation

06:27 Quantum Technologies Overview

09:15 How Quantum Sensors Work

12:33 No-Drift Sensing Advantage

15:34 Real World Applications

22:21 Cutting Nuclear Downtime

25:20 Utility Pilot Programs

26:15 Quantum Meets AI

32:29 Key Stakeholders for Quantum

35:37 Nuclear in a Renewable Grid

41:43 Modern Reactor Safety

46:43 G20 Nuclear Summit

48:43 Energy Access in Africa

53:22 Contrarian Energy Take

#Nuclear #QuantumTechnology #EnergyTransition #CleanEnergy #FutureOfEnergy

New York legally committed to generating 70% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, and 100% carbon-free power by 2040. Nearly a decade later, the state is way behind schedule.

In the first episode of Modo Energy Presents, our new series of video documentaries, we examine why building renewable energy in New York is so difficult - despite strong political support and ambitious targets.

We explore:

• Transmission bottlenecks between upstate and downstate.
• The NYISO interconnection queue, now holding ~27 GW of projects.
• Why 90% of proposed projects never reach commercial operations.
• Interconnection costs that can account for 60% of total project CapEx.
• Offshore wind policy uncertainty.
• Capacity market dynamics that favour dispatchable generation.
• And why battery energy storage economics differ from ERCOT and California.

Featuring Peter Berini, Director of Industry at Modo Energy, this episode compares New York’s “cluster study” interconnection model with ERCOT’s faster “connect and manage” approach - and asks whether structural reform is necessary to hit renewable targets.

A Modo Energy production.

Music licensed via Artlist.

Stock footage licensed via Pond5 (via Everly).

This documentary is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

New York legally committed to generating 70% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, and 100% carbon-free power by 2040. Nearly a decade later, the state is way behind schedule.

In the first episode of Modo Energy Presents, our new series of video documentaries, we examine why building renewable energy in New York is so difficult - despite strong political support and ambitious targets.

We explore:

• Transmission bottlenecks between upstate and downstate.
• The NYISO interconnection queue, now holding ~27 GW of projects.
• Why 90% of proposed projects never reach commercial operations.
• Interconnection costs that can account for 60% of total project CapEx.
• Offshore wind policy uncertainty.
• Capacity market dynamics that favour dispatchable generation.
• And why battery energy storage economics differ from ERCOT and California.

Featuring Peter Berini, Director of Industry at Modo Energy, this episode compares New York’s “cluster study” interconnection model with ERCOT’s faster “connect and manage” approach - and asks whether structural reform is necessary to hit renewable targets.

A Modo Energy production.

Music licensed via Artlist.

Stock footage licensed via Pond5 (via Everly).

This documentary is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

The UK has a bold target to triple solar capacity within a single parliament, but the path from ambition to deployment is riddled with grid bottlenecks, workforce shortages, and revenue uncertainty.

In this episode, Ed Porter sits down with Matt Black Managing Director of IG renewables and Chair of Solar Energy UK, to unpack the realities of delivering large-scale solar in Great Britain, from the aftermath of the connections queue reform to the future role of co-located batteries, the Warm Homes Plan, and what it actually takes to build a solar career in 2025.

Chapters

• 00:00:03 Connection Reform Overview
• 00:07:30 Gate Two Shakeout
• 00:09:00 Solar M&A Activity
• 00:13:30 Strategic Energy Planning
• 00:18:30 Co-Located Solar Storage
• 00:22:00 60GW Delivery Challenge
• 00:24:30 EPC Workforce Gap
• 00:28:30 CFD PPA Merchant Revenue
• 00:33:00 Balcony Solar Growth
• 00:37:47 Warm Homes Plan
• 00:45:00 Future Solar Deployment Shift

#SolarEnergy #EnergyTransition #RenewableEnergy #CleanPower #UKEnergy

The UK has a bold target to triple solar capacity within a single parliament, but the path from ambition to deployment is riddled with grid bottlenecks, workforce shortages, and revenue uncertainty.

In this episode, Ed Porter sits down with Matt Black Managing Director of IG renewables and Chair of Solar Energy UK, to unpack the realities of delivering large-scale solar in Great Britain, from the aftermath of the connections queue reform to the future role of co-located batteries, the Warm Homes Plan, and what it actually takes to build a solar career in 2025.

Chapters

• 00:00:03 Connection Reform Overview
• 00:07:30 Gate Two Shakeout
• 00:09:00 Solar M&A Activity
• 00:13:30 Strategic Energy Planning
• 00:18:30 Co-Located Solar Storage
• 00:22:00 60GW Delivery Challenge
• 00:24:30 EPC Workforce Gap
• 00:28:30 CFD PPA Merchant Revenue
• 00:33:00 Balcony Solar Growth
• 00:37:47 Warm Homes Plan
• 00:45:00 Future Solar Deployment Shift

#SolarEnergy #EnergyTransition #RenewableEnergy #CleanPower #UKEnergy