As energy markets grow more dynamic and capital-intensive, energy developers face rising pressure to optimize asset value from first valuation through final transaction. To meet that need, Ascend Analytics integrated the Ascend Energy Exchange™ (AEX) asset-sales and acquisition solution directly into the Ascend PowerVAL™  platform, creating a unified workflow that supports asset owners and delivers bankable project valuation through to market execution.

Now, AEX access comes bundled with every PowerVAL subscription, giving energy asset owners, developers, and investors a streamlined path to bring projects to market with no upfront fees and a fully success-based model. This alignment between valuation analytics and transaction execution reduces friction, accelerates deal readiness, and strengthens data-driven decision making.

Key Takeaways

• The integration of AEX into PowerVAL creates a seamless path for energy asset owners and developers who want to move from scenario analysis to transaction execution without switching systems or procuring additional services.

• Because AEX leverages PowerVAL's independent market assessments, sellers and buyers operate from a shared, transparent foundation that leverages valuations directly tied to the industry’s leading fundamentals, thus bolstering transaction confidence and reducing negotiation friction.

• Integrating AEX into PowerVAL also provides key benefits for energy asset investors. Combining Ascend's bankable analytics with AEX's market access supports more confident underwriting and faster identification of opportunities.

• Users also benefit from the integration of AEX into PowerVAL’s broader toolset, which includes capabilities related to asset valuation, wholesale market intelligence, and retail rate market intelligence.

How the Ascend Energy Exchange (AEX) Works

AEX functions as a marketplace for renewable, storage, hybrid, and thermal assets, underpinned by Ascend's expertise, deep buyer-seller networks, and bankable analyses. The platform promotes transparent, defensible project valuations and efficient transaction executions, which help buyers and sellers to maximize optimal outcomes in operating environments that often carry volatile development risks and rapidly shifting policy landscapes.

AEX brings together several core capabilities:

• A streamlined, responsive process focused on efficiency for both buyers and sellers.

• Independent market assessments that deliver unbiased valuations aligned with modern market fundamentals, forward prices, policy incentives, and merchant risk.

• Targeted bidder outreach based on Ascend’s relationships with one of the deepest pools of qualified buyers and investors in North American energy markets.

• Integration of Ascend's EnSurance™ merchant risk mitigation product and SmartBidder™ energy bid optimization platform.

• Expert advisory support from specialists who understand renewable development risks, storage operations, interconnection challenges, and the commercial considerations that influence valuation.

Why AEX Matters for Current PowerVAL Users

AEX expands PowerVAL’s foundation of market intelligence and asset valuation, giving users a direct bridge from analytics to transaction action. PowerVAL already delivered valuation, market forecasting, and portfolio analysis across renewables, storage, hybrids, and thermal assets; adding AEX now strengthens that workflow with market access, streamlined deal execution, and broader engagement from qualified buyers and investors.

Many PowerVAL users leverage the platform to conduct asset valuations, perform dispatch modeling, evaluate merchant exposure, or assess interconnection risks. With AEX embedded in the same ecosystem, users can reduce the costs and time associated with asset transactions. AEX allows users to:

• Directly list evaluated assets.

• Market projects to qualified buyers using Ascend's established outreach model.

• Leverage the same defensible analytics that support internal decision-making to support transaction positioning.

No-cost Listings with a Success-Based Model

The use of a 100% success-based fee structure eliminates upfront barriers to testing market interest. Developers, IPPs, and utilities can now list individual assets or portfolios, without committing additional resources before a transaction occurs. This encourages broader market participation and enables data-driven decisions about whether to transact, hold, or restructure assets.

Stronger Alignment Between Valuation and Market Signals

Because AEX leverages PowerVAL's independent market assessments, sellers and buyers operate from a shared, transparent foundation. Valuations are directly tied to the industry’s leading fundamentals – including nodal prices, volatility forecasts, and policy scenarios – which bolsters transaction confidence and reduces negotiation friction.

The New PowerVAL Platform: Analytics to Action

Users also benefit from the integration of AEX into PowerVAL’s broader toolset, which includes capabilities related to asset valuation, wholesale market intelligence, and retail rate market intelligence.

Market Intelligence and Price Forecasting

PowerVAL’s Market Intelligence: Wholesale Markets solution covers more than 50,000 nodes across the US, which informs both asset valuations and bidder strategies while providing powerful clarity with regard to nodal pricing, congestion, and volatility. At the same time, the Market Intelligence: Retail Rates solution delivers bankable proprietary rate and revenue forecasts. This ensures that AEX transactions reflect up-to-date market expectations and risk distributions rather than static or generic benchmarks.

Energy Asset Valuation

Utilizing 20+ year nodal sub-hourly price forecasts produced by the Market Intelligence team, PowerVAL helps power market stakeholders determine the value of projects at specific locations by performing comprehensive dispatch simulations and optimizing system operations to match specific use cases. The results of Ascend's stochastic modeling, multi-scenario evaluation, and long-term fundamentals feed directly into AEX processes. Sellers can present buyers with authoritative valuations supported by robust analytics, and buyers can compare bids to their modeled value ranges with greater precision.

Asset Sale Transactions for Buyers and Sellers

Having AEX as part of the PowerVAL platform provides benefits for investors and buyers, as well. For investors, the integration of bankable analytics with AEX's market access supports more confident underwriting and faster identification of opportunities aligned with strategy. Buyers gain:

• Expanded inventory of assets listed with no upfront barrier.

• More transparent valuations that are underpinned by Ascend Market Intelligence.

• Access to 'Assets Wanted' postings, which enables buyers to articulate ideal project types and allows Ascend to proactively engage the development community.

• Consistent market fundamentals across both buyer and seller analyses, reducing uncertainty and speeding due diligence.

Interested in Learning More?

Trusted across hundreds of deals and more than $1 billion in transaction value, PowerVAL provides bankable revenue forecasts and nodal-specific valuations for storage, renewables, and hybrid projects under multiple operating strategies across all ISOs. Please contact us to learn more.

Ascend Analytics is the leading provider of market intelligence and analytics solutions for the power industry.

The company’s offerings enable decision makers in power development and supply procurement to maximize the value of planning, operating, and managing risk for renewable, storage, and other assets. From real-time to 30-year horizons, their forecasts and insights are at the foundation of over $50 billion in project financing assessments.

Ascend provides energy market stakeholders with the clarity and confidence to successfully navigate the rapidly shifting energy landscape.