The Battery Boom: Why Grid Storage Is the Backbone of Clean Power! | The Fully Charged Show Podcast

Jun 9, 2025

Ed Porter, Director of Insights for Europe at Modo Energy and host of the Transmission podcast, dives into the booming world of battery energy storage systems (BESS). He explains the role of grid-scale batteries in balancing energy supply and demand, and how they are replacing gas to reduce costs. Ed also discusses the significance of dynamic frequency response, challenges during winter's 'dunkelflaute,' and the implications of UK battery deployment compared to Texas. His expertise sheds light on the future of clean energy and career opportunities in this growing sector.

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INSIGHT

Grid-Scale Batteries Balance Power

Batteries balance the grid by charging during excess generation and discharging when generation is low.
They perform wholesale trading and extremely fast frequency response to keep the system stable.

INSIGHT

Batteries Replace Gas for Frequency

The UK replaced gas with 1.5 GW of batteries for frequency response, slashing costs by 80%.
Batteries ramp up/down in milliseconds, making them more efficient and affordable than gas units.

ADVICE

Scale Battery Deployment Rapidly

The UK targets 22-27 GW of battery storage by 2030, a 4-5x increase from today’s 5 GW.
Scaling battery deployment rapidly needs more grid connections and skilled engineers.

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Battery storage is booming — but how does it really work, and why does it matter? In this episode of the Fully Charged Show Podcast, Imogen sits down with Ed Porter from ⁨@modoenergy⁩ one of the UK's leading experts on battery energy storage systems (BESS), to demystify the critical role batteries are already playing in balancing the grid — and what’s still to come. From frequency regulation and price arbitrage to blackouts and the path to clean power by 2030, we explore how grid-scale batteries are transforming our energy system faster than you think. Ed shares his insights on:

Why batteries are replacing gas in grid services — and slashing costs.
What dynamic frequency response actually means
How the UK went from 0 to 5.3 GW of battery storage — and where we go from here
Why the “1.5-hour” battery duration isn't a limitation, but a smart design choice
How we plan to survive “Dunkelflaute” and keep the lights on in winter.

Enjoy! ⁨@fullychargedshow⁩ ⁨@EverythingElectricShow⁩ Find out more about the Modo Energy Terminal: https://modoenergy.com/ 00:00 Introduction 01:01 Ad Break 01:16 Modo Energy 04:09 Why do we need Grid Scale Batteries? 06:07 Batteries and frequency in the system 09:07 80% Cost reduction vs gas! 12:17 Are we deploying batteries fast enough? 16:09 1.5 hour battery duration?! 19:02 What about “Dunkelflaute”?! and a note on CCUS... 26:00 Decoupling the cost of electricity from gas?! 29:13 A whole new system? 37:15 Should energy be free?! 40:53 Negative pricing 43:26 What the UK can learn from Texas 46:00 Please like and subscribe! This episode is sponsored by Duracell Energy! Enter the Free Prize Draw to WIN your own Duracell Energy bunny here: https://www.duracellenergy.com/givaway/ Get a free quote for solar and battery from Duracell Energy here: https://bit.ly/4i9ERid Free Prize Draw Terms & Conditions can be found here: https://www.duracellenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Prize-Draw-2025-Puredrive-Energy-Ltd.pdf Why not come and join us at our next Everything Electric expo: https://everythingelectric.show Check out our sister channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fullychargedshow Why are our episodes now sponsored? https://fullycharged.show/blog/dan-caesar-on-x-insta-youtube-and-why-we-made-a-contro[…]s-on-fully-charged-everything-electric-electric-vehicles-uk/ Support our StopBurningStuff campaign: https://www.patreon.com/STOPBurningStuff Become a Fully Charged SHOW Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/fullychargedshow Become a YouTube member: use JOIN button above Buy the Fully Charged Guide to Electric Vehicles & Clean Energy : https://buff.ly/2GybGt0 Subscribe for episode alerts and the Fully Charged newsletter: https://fullycharged.show/zap-sign-up/ Visit: https://FullyCharged.Show Find us on X: https://x.com/Everyth1ngElec Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/fullychargedshow To partner, exhibit or sponsor at our award-winning expos email: commercial@fullycharged.show Everything Electric CANADA - Vancouver Convention Center - 5th, 6th & 7th September 2025 Everything Electric SOUTH (UK) - Farnborough International - 10th, 11th & 12th October 2025 Everything Electric AUSTRALIA VIC - 14th, 15th & 16th November 2025