A mile deep, not wide: NineDot's case for going all-in on one market with Sam McGarvey

In this episode, James talks with Sam McGarvey, Director of Origination at NineDot Energy — a developer, owner, and operator of front-of-meter battery storage systems across New York City's five boroughs.NineDot made a deliberate bet: ignore every other market and go all-in on the single hardest place to build energy storage in the country. That focus has taken them from 3 employees to 84, and toward 400–500 megawatts of distributed storage across New York City by the end of the decade. Sam breaks down what it actually takes to develop in NYC — and why the lessons apply everywhere.Why NYC's complexity is a feature, not a bug, for a focused developerThe affordability story: 1.3 million NY utility customers behind on bills — and what storage can do about itWhy January 2026 was a turning point: the first time ConEd included distributed storage in its load forecastA must-listen for developers navigating dense markets, complex permitting, and the next phase of distributed storage.Paces helps developers find and evaluate the sites most suitable for renewable development. Interested in a call with James, CEO @ Paces?