Transmission

Terry Embury, VP and Head of Trading and Market Operations at AES Clean Energy, leads trading for large renewable and storage projects. He discusses how soaring AI data center demand and collapsing solar prices flipped market dynamics. They cover ERCOT’s sudden duck curve, why solar+storage is becoming standard, and batteries as a fast solution to looming generation shortfalls.

Terry Embury, VP and Head of Trading and Market Operations at AES Clean Energy, runs trading and operations for large-scale renewables and storage serving hyperscalers. He discusses how rapid solar growth flipped market dynamics, the rise of solar-specific trading blocks, why batteries are crucial for 24/7 clean power, and how data center demand is reshaping project siting and value.

Ed Birkett, New Projects Director at Low Carbon who develops large-scale solar and storage, explains the tangled UK grid connection reforms. He breaks down the gate one/gate two system, why a 1,000GW queue formed, and how substation siting and battery co-location are now shaping project timelines and costs. The conversation covers who wins or loses under the reform and urgent next steps to unlock capacity.

Ed Birkett, New Projects Director at Low Carbon and solar/battery project developer, breaks down the UK grid queue crisis. He explains gate one vs gate two reforms and why connection date uncertainty is delaying critical decisions. He covers battery co‑location, substation siting bottlenecks, and the planning and regulatory hurdles threatening 2030 delivery.

Marcus Johansson, a senior Xcel Energy leader driving digital transformation and wildfire mitigation. He discusses digital twins for rehearsing extreme weather, wildfire scenarios, and load surges. Short simulations help planners and engineers anticipate risks. The conversation covers predictive maintenance, AMI data use, AI for large datasets, and how these tools reshape grid investment and operations.

Marcus Johansson, a senior Xcel Energy executive leading digital transformation and wildfire mitigation. He discusses how digital twins let utilities rehearse extreme weather, wildfire scenarios, and load surges. Conversations cover predictive maintenance, AMI-driven alerts, capital optimization, and a SimCity-style distribution model for future grid planning.

Seb Kennedy, founder of Energy Flux and gas markets analyst, breaks down the January 2026 gas chaos. He unpacks short squeeze mechanics in European hubs. He explains US freeze-offs that sent Henry Hub soaring. He examines LNG export limits, geopolitical twists from Venezuela to Panama, and Pakistan’s solar surge versus LNG commitments.

Seb Kennedy, founder of Energy Flux and gas market analyst, breaks down the January 2026 gas chaos. He walks through short-squeeze mechanics in Europe. He explains US freeze-offs and the sudden Henry Hub jump. He discusses LNG export constraints, geopolitics from Venezuela to Panama, and Pakistan's rooftop solar shift. He flags the big themes to watch in 2026.

Keith Collins, VP of Commercial Operations at ERCOT, oversees market design and Texas grid reliability. He discusses energy-only market dynamics and why high price spikes can signal needed capacity. Topics include rapid AI/data-center load growth, battery roles and RTC-plus-B improvements, Dispatchable Reliability Reserve ideas, 765 kV transmission plans, and residential virtual power plants.

Keith Collins, VP of Commercial Operations at ERCOT, oversees market design and grid reliability. He explains why $5,000 scarcity prices are crucial for signaling investment. They discuss rapid AI data center load growth, energy-only market mechanics, batteries capturing value, new tools like RTC+P, and transmission solutions such as 765 kV to move gigawatts.