How Energy Storage Gets Built with Bex Sherwood (Field)

Sep 25, 2025

Bex Sherwood, Head of Development at Field and chair of Regen’s Planning Working Group, dives into the intricate world of grid-scale battery storage. She explains how projects evolve from initial planning through to operation, emphasizing the critical role of connections reform and the impact of Clean Power 2030. Bex also highlights the challenges in land acquisition, the importance of workforce diversity in STEM, and Field's innovative in-house optimization platform. Tune in for insights on aligning energy storage with community needs and the future of sustainable energy.

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INSIGHT

Field Became A Full‑Lifecycle Battery Business

Field develops, owns, operates and now optimises grid-scale batteries, moving from developer to full lifecycle operator.
In two years Field grew from one site in construction to four operational and multiple international projects.

ADVICE

Start With Grid Need And Constructability

Start site selection with grid analysis to identify where batteries solve constraint and stability needs.
Prioritise constructability like existing substations with spare bays to speed deployment.

INSIGHT

Batteries Are System Service Platforms

Batteries now provide much more than energy shifting: they relieve constraints and provide stability services.
Developers value sites for system services, not just wholesale arbitrage revenue.

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How do you take a battery project from an empty field to a grid-connected asset that actually supports the system? And with queue reforms, planning pressure, and shifting revenue stacks, what does it now take to move storage from idea to operation at speed *and* at scale?

Today we’re taking a look how sites are found, why connections and planning timelines make or break projects, and which policy changes (from connections reform to Clean Power 2030) matter most for accelerating flexible capacity on the system.

In this episode, Ed is joined joined by Bex Sherwood, Head of Development at Field, to unpack how a storage developer navigates origination, planning, construction and optimisation and where the biggest bottlenecks (and opportunities) now sit.

Key topics covered include:

How battery storage projects are developed. From day zero through to operations.
The impact of Clean Power 2030 and connections reform on storage growth.
The key challenges developers face in planning and permitting.
How Field has evolved since 2023, moving from developer to owner, operator, and optimiser.
Why diversity in the workforce matters for the future of batteries and STEM.

About our guest

Bex Sherwood is Head of Development at Field, a developer, owner, operator and optimiser of grid-scale battery storage; she also chairs Regen’s Planning Working Group, focusing on practical reforms to speed well-sited, system-friendly projects. For more information about Field, 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.