Transmission

• Can local flexibility markets fix grid congestion with James Johnston (Piclo)

  The grid was never designed for millions of distributed energy assets. Yet today, batteries, EVs, solar, and heat pumps are connecting faster than the network can reinforce - pushing grid capacity to its limits. The result? Growing connection queues, rising curtailment, and a system struggling to keep pace with electrification. So how do we move from a grid that reacts to constraints to one that actively manages them? DSOs are evolving and distribution-level flexibility matters now more than ever. What does it take to build market infrastructure that actually works for both system operators and flexibility providers?In this episode of Transmission, James Johnston - CEO of Piclo, returns to the show to discuss explore how local flexibility markets are being used to manage congestion today and what digitalisation really means for networks.Key topics covered: • Why grid constraints are the biggest threat to the energy transition.• How local flexibility markets are solving real congestion problems today.• The evolving role of DSOs and how they coordinate with TSOs.• What digitalisation means for system planning and grid visibility.• Lessons from live flexibility markets in the UK, Europe, and the US.About our guestJames Johnston is CEO and co-founder of Piclo, a flexibility marketplace used by network and system operators to procure flexibility from distributed energy resources. Through his work at Piclo, he is helping system operators manage congestion, reduce reinforcement costs, and accelerate the transition to a smarter, more flexible electricity system.For more information, head to the Piclo website. https://www.piclo.com/About Modo EnergyModo 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 interviews are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, conversations, 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.

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• The flexibility blind spot in carbon accounting with Killian Daly (EnergyTag)

  Want the latest news, analysis, and price indices from power markets around the globe - delivered to your inbox, every week?Sign up for the Weekly Dispatch - Modo Energy’s unmissable newsletter.https://bit.ly/TheWeeklyDispatchEnergy certificates were designed to support the growth of renewables but today they sit at the centre of a credibility problem. Many companies claim to run on 100% renewable energy, yet most certificates only match electricity consumption on a yearly basis. In reality, businesses may still rely on fossil power for much of the day while using certificates to appear green on paper.As pressure grows for transparency and real impact, the market is shifting. Granular energy certificates that track clean electricity hour by hour aim to close the gap between claims and reality. In this episode of Transmission, Killian Daly, Executive Director at EnergyTag joins Joe to explore how 24/7 clean power works, what it means for PPAs, storage, and energy procurement, and why companies like Google and Microsoft are already demanding hourly matching.Key topics covered:Why current energy certificates fail to reflect real clean energy useWhat granular certificates are and how they enable 24/7 matchingHow EnergyTag is defining global standards for hourly energy trackingWhy transparency is now essential to credible decarbonisation claimsWhat 24/7 procurement means for PPAs, storage, and system flexibilityAbout our guest: Killian Daly is Executive director at EnergyTag, a global initiative developing standards for granular energy certificates to accelerate the shift to 24/7 clean electricity. An independent non-profit, advocating for policy reform and enabling the next generation of clean electricity markets. For more information on what EnergyTag 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 interviews are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, conversations, 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.

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• Managing merchant risk in clean power with Lee Taylor (REsurety)

  Want the latest news, analysis, and price indices from power markets around the globe - delivered to your inbox, every week?Sign up for the Weekly Dispatch - Modo Energy’s unmissable newsletter.https://bit.ly/TheWeeklyDispatchAs more renewable energy connects to the grid, one question keeps coming up: who carries the risk when the wind doesn’t blow, or prices crash? The future of clean power doesn’t just depend on building more generation, it hinges on whether markets can give investors price certainty and revenue stability.In this episode of Transmission, we explore how risk is traded, priced, and managed in modern power markets. We look at how hedging, PPAs, and virtual power contracts have evolved and why the clean energy transition needs smarter financial tools to scale. Lee Taylor, CEO of REsurety joins Quentin to share how market design, trading strategies, and better risk management can unlock new renewable investment when traditional PPAs fall short.Key topics covered include: • Why price volatility makes financing renewables harder and riskier.• The rise of virtual PPAs and hedging instruments in clean energy.• How merchant risk and cannibalisation impact renewable project value.• Why new financial products are essential for scaling renewables globally.• The future of power market design and investor confidence.About our guest: Lee Taylor is the founder and CEO of REsurety, a leader in energy risk management software and hedging solutions that help developers, investors, and offtakers manage revenue risk in power markets. For more information on REsurety, head to their website. https://resurety.com/Want the latest news, analysis, and price indices from power markets around the globe - delivered to your inbox, every week?Sign up for the Weekly Dispatch - Modo Energy’s unmissable newsletter.https://bit.ly/TheWeeklyDispatchAs more renewable energy connects to the grid, one question keeps coming up: who carries the risk when the wind doesn’t blow, or prices crash? The future of clean power doesn’t just depend on building more generation, it hinges on whether markets can give investors price certainty and revenue stability.In this episode of Transmission, we explore how risk is traded, priced, and managed in modern power markets. We look at how hedging, PPAs, and virtual power contracts have evolved and why the clean energy transition needs smarter financial tools to scale. Lee Taylor, CEO of REsurety joins Quentin to share how market design, trading strategies, and better risk management can unlock new renewable investment when traditional PPAs fall short.Key topics covered include: • Why price volatility makes financing renewables harder and riskier.• The rise of virtual PPAs and hedging instruments in clean energy.• How merchant risk and cannibalisation impact renewable project value.• Why new financial products are essential for scaling renewables globally.• The future of power market design and investor confidence.About our guest: Lee Taylor is the founder and CEO of REsurety, a leader in energy risk management software and hedging solutions that help developers, investors, and offtakers manage revenue risk in power markets. For more information on REsurety, head to their website https://resurety.com/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 interviews are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, conversations, 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.

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• Carbon credits and the fight for transparency with Tommy Ricketts (BeZero Carbon)

  Want the latest news, analysis, and price indices from power markets around the globe - delivered to your inbox, every week?Sign up for the Weekly Dispatch - Modo Energy’s unmissable newsletter.Carbon markets promise a simple solution: buy a credit, offset an emission. But behind the scenes, things aren’t so straightforward. With credits treated like commodities but rarely verified with precision, buyers face a fundamental question: how do you prove the real impact of the carbon you’re paying for?In this conversation, Tommy Ricketts, co-founder and CEO of BeZero Carbon, unpacks why trust and transparency are the biggest challenges in voluntary carbon markets. He explains how ratings, methodologies, and science can bring confidence to an opaque system and why rigorous evaluation of carbon projects is essential if markets are to play a serious role in achieving net zero.• Why carbon credits function like commodities and why that’s a problem.•The challenge of proving impact in voluntary carbon markets.• How carbon ratings bring scientific evidence and confidence to credits.• The role of probability and risk in assessing climate impact.• Why transparency and trust are essential if carbon markets are to scale.About our guestTommy Ricketts is co-founder and CEO of BeZero Carbon, a global carbon ratings agency providing independent assessments of the quality and impact of carbon credits to help markets scale with integrity. For more information on BeZero Carbon, head to their website. About Modo EnergyModo 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 interviews are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, conversations, 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.

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• California’s biggest clean energy bottleneck with Ali Chehrehsaz (TerraVerde Energy)

  Want the latest news, analysis, and price indices from power markets around the globe - delivered to your inbox, every week?Sign up for the Weekly Dispatch - Modo Energy’s unmissable newsletter.California’s clean energy story is often told through solar and batteries, but the real challenge isn’t building the technology, it’s connecting it. Across the state, schools, water districts, and city governments want to deploy microgrids to cut costs and boost resilience, yet many projects are stuck in interconnection queues, waiting years to come online. The result? Communities lose out on cheaper, cleaner power, and essential services remain exposed to grid instability.In this episode of Transmission, we hear from Ali Chehrehsaz, CEO of TerraVerde Energy, who has spent over 15 years helping California’s public agencies navigate this landscape. He explains why interconnection has become the biggest bottleneck for solar and storage, how agencies can take control of their energy future, and what reforms are needed to deliver resilience at scale. It’s a conversation about turning ambition into action and about building clean power where it matters most.Key topics covered:• Why interconnection, not incentives, is now the biggest barrier for solar and storage.• How microgrids can cut costs and strengthen resilience for schools, cities, and water districts.• The lessons from 15+ years of deploying clean energy in California.• Why public agencies are uniquely positioned to lead in the transition.• What reforms are needed to fix the queue and speed up deployment.About our guest: Ali Chehrehsazis CEO of TerraVerde Energy, advising public agencies across California on deploying microgrids, solar, and batteries to cut costs, improve resilience, and accelerate the clean energy transition. For more information on TerraVerde, head to their website.About Modo EnergyModo 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 interviews are available to watch or listen to on the Modo Energy site. To keep up with all of our latest updates, research, analysis, videos, conversations, 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.

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