The convergence of hydrology and climate shifts, along with CAISO's Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) and Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM) initiatives, are propagating volatility, basis, congestion, and transactability risk throughout the Western grid, fundamentally altering planning, trading, and investment decisions.  

In this webinar, Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO at Ascend Analytics, Carley Dolch, Managing Director of Energy Risk Solutions, Dr. Dominique Bain, Senior Analyst, Dr. Carlos Blanco, Managing Director of Risk Management and ESG, and Scott Nicholson, Manager of Resource Planning and Valuation, discuss market participation, BESS storage deployment, and optimally structuring hedges. The webinar provides insights and strategies that allow utilities, asset owners, and counterparties to navigate and mitigate risk under these new conditions.

In this webinar, participants will learn:

• Why hydropower must be treated as conditionally available and risk-weighted rather than a firm planning resource.

• How EIM and EDAM connect markets while simultaneously amplifying exposure to diverging regional hydrologic regimes.

• How energy trading strategies, PPA structures, financial instruments, and spot market participation are adapting to changing transactability constraints and volatility.

• How the role of utility-scale BESS storage is evolving from energy arbitrage toward system-level shock absorption, congestion management, and interface risk mitigation.

Access this webinar now, or read more about how Ascend can help asset owners develop financial and physical hedge strategies to mitigate hydro resource risks in western US energy markets.

In this webinar, Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO at Ascend Analytics, Dr. Brent Nelson, Managing Director of Markets and Strategy, Dr. Carlos Blanco, Managing Director of Risk Management and ESG, and Tyler Pritchard, Senior Energy Analyst, demonstrate how asset owners can structure hedges that translate forecasts into realized cash flow while avoiding misalignment between asset capabilities to deliver power and financial hedge  obligations.  The webinar also discusses expected revenue uplift from forward market hedging in ERCOT and why Ascend believes forward markets are overpricing the scarcity risks.

In this webinar, participants will learn how to:

• Assess how seasonal volatility and scarcity-driven pricing dynamics shape hedge performance

• Structure hedge instruments to reduce forecast variance while accounting for market variability and physical deliverability

• Evaluate hedge suitability and costs of hedging when forward prices exceed fundamental expectations

Access this webinar now, or read more about how Ascend can help asset owners develop optima hedges for maximizing risk-adjusted revenues in US energy markets.

With demand for clean energy projects outstripped by supply in most markets, PPA and BESS tolling rates often reflect project costs and cost of capital rather than value to off-takers.  

Looking ahead, CapEx learning curves, the expiration of tax credits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and a shifting supply/demand balance for equipment and labor will heavily influence pricing. Energy storage and hybrid M&A activity has shifted from growth-driven deals in 2021–22 to asset-specific transactions focused on development risk and portfolio optimization.

In this webinar, Dr. Michael Fisher, Director of Valuation Services at Ascend Analytics, joined Rahm Orenstein, Managing Director of Ascend Energy Exchange, and Anthony Boukarim, Director of Resource Planning & Power Procurement, and provided insights for developers, independent power providers (IPPs), load serving entities, and corporations into clean energy procurement and M&A trends, including asset valuations across all regions.

Access this webinar now, or read more about how Ascend offers guidance on how to proceed in an environment of highly competitive PPA procurements and a solidly recovering M&A market.  

ERCOT’s RTC+B (Real-Time Co-optimization plus Batteries) market design goes live on December 5, ushering in one of the most significant operational shifts for storage to date. With only a few weeks to prepare, storage operators face a high-stakes race to adapt.

In this webinar, Ascend’s SmartBidder team, including Mike Huisenga, Managing Director of Business Development at Ascend Analytics, joined Dr. Tapas Peshin, Bidding & Trading Analytics Manager, and Martin Chown, Senior Energy Analyst, will explain and analyze new rule changes under RTC+B, unpack implications for battery owners and operators, and present how SmartBidder's new RTC+B-compliant bidding strategies will function and uncover value for operators.  

Access this webinar now, or read more about how Ascend can help battery owners and operators maximize risk-adjusted revenue under RTC+B. 

While uncertainty abounds, the headwinds for merchant storage developers are adding value to the optionality provided by EnSurance revenue floors. Based off of 1GW of EnSurance transactions, this webinar provides insights into the current state of battery risk transfer and financing conditions and includes case studies that examine return-maximizing strategies in ERCOT, CAISO and SPP.

To watch this webinar or sign up for upcoming Ascend webinars, click here: https://bit.ly/3DIz44d

Independent power producers (IPPs) operate in a complex energy landscape, balancing the need to attract investors with the challenge of maintaining long-term profitability. The strategies required to secure financing may vary or be utilized differently from those needed to maintain profitability once projects are operational.

This webinar, featuring insights from risk and portfolio management experts Ascend Analytics and energy trading and risk management (ETRM) experts at Molecule, examines the distinct financial and operational strategies IPPs must employ at different stages of the value chain. Speakers will discuss how to align investment and operational solutions to support business growth, whether in early-stage development or active asset management.

Access this webinar now, or read more about how Ascend's PowerSIMM™ can help IPPs and developers optimize profitability for renewable energy projects and portfolios.

Choosing the most effective battery energy storage system (BESS) optimization software remains crucial for battery owners and managers. Platforms like Ascend's SmartBidder can help construct and evaluate winning strategies that continually outperform market benchmarks, adjust to project risk appetite, and adapt to changing market rules and opportunities.

In this webinar, Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO of Ascend Analytics, Mike Huisenga, Managing Director of Business Development, and Jeff Hartsough, Managing Director of Asset Operations, discuss how Ascend's opportunity cost bidding framework helps battery owners and operators maximize value. In addition, they provide Ascend's key insights for storage operators in 2025, including how to implement flexible and diversified bidding strategies to achieve excess returns.

Access this webinar now, or read more about how Ascend's SmartBidder can help battery owners and managers. 

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While New York faces roadblocks to developing utility-scale clean energy, the state has seen considerable success in deploying distributed clean resources, thanks largely to New York's Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) program. VDER provides revenue incentives for small-scale community solar, storage, and hybrid resources that are supplementary to wholesale market participation.  

This webinar will provide a deep dive into the VDER program, discussing revenue outlooks, challenges and opportunities across the state for solar, storage and hybrid battery system operations, and Ascend’s view of the dynamics of the key value stack components and how they may evolve over time.

Access this webinar now, or read more about how Ascend's PowerVAL™ can help distributed energy developers maximize returns and minimize risks.  

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Data centers are driving rapidly soaring demand for energy. As large corporate cloud service providers with renewable energy goals move to quickly secure supply, developers and utilities will be presented with growth opportunities. This new landscape presents challenges, as well, including supply chain issues, backlogged interconnection queues, and unexpected events such as the recent DeepSeek announcement.  

In this webinar, Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO at Ascend Analytics, Paul Saferstein, CFA, Senior Advisor for Data Centers, and Robert LaFaso, Director of Valuation and Forecasting, analyze opportunities for renewable energy project development as the artificial intelligence era drives rapid and significant market growth. They also offer guidance for developers and utilities on how best to align energy project development efforts with data center needs.

Access this webinar now, or read more about Ascend's analysis of how data centers impact US energy markets.

What will the second Trump administration mean for the energy transition? In this webinar, Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO at Ascend Analytics, and Dr. Brent Nelson, Managing Director of Markets and Strategy, analyze President Trump's stated energy goals, identify opportunities and risks for renewable energy project development, and offer guidance for navigating evolving power markets during the coming years.

Access this webinar now, or read more about Ascend's predictions about the energy transition under President Trump.

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The market for energy procurement through power purchase agreements (PPAs) and mergers and acquisitions (M&As) has rarely been more complicated. Soaring load growth and thermal retirements present big renewable project development opportunities for developers and off-takers. At the same time, oversubscribed interconnection queues mean many clean energy projects won't get built.

In this webinar, Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO at Ascend Analytics, Rahm Orenstein, Managing Director of Ascend Energy Exchange, Dr. Brandon Mauch, Managing Director of Operations and Strategy, and Dr. Brent Nelson, Managing Director of Markets and Strategy, discuss ways to optimally navigate a world of hyper-competitive PPA procurements and increasing downward pressure on M&A prices.

Access this webinar now, or read more about Ascend's outlook for energy market PPAs and M&As.

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Too often, production cost modeling undervalues the importance of opportunity costs in setting market prices, as well as underpredicting renewable price-setting behavior and price volatility. Energy price formation forecasts must evolve to account for the new market dynamics – including renewable energy price volatility, output uncertainty, and opportunity costs – of the energy transition.

In this webinar discussing Ascend's proprietary Opportunity Cost Forecasting Framework, Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO at Ascend Analytics, and Dr. Brent Nelson, Managing Director of Markets and Strategy, cover new pricing drivers, what traditional forecasting approaches miss, and how Ascend forecasts are designed to reflect the dynamics of the energy transition.

Access this webinar now, or read more about why the Ascend Opportunity Cost Forecasting Framework serves as a better energy price formation model.  

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Developers, corporations, and utilities face increasingly complicated decisions when considering investments in renewable energy project development while trying to meet evolving carbon reduction goals.

In this webinar, Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO at Ascend Analytics, Anthony Boukarim, Director of Resource Planning and Power Procurement, and Carley Dolch, Director of Business Development, discuss how the use of locational marginal emissions (LMEs) could optimize decarbonization strategies, reduce carbon abatement costs, and increase the value of renewable energy credits (RECs).

Access this webinar now, or read more about how using LMEs can help unlock REC and carbon value.

Utilities and CCAs are under growing pressure to accelerate the transition from planning to procurement. Those who streamline this process gain cost efficiencies, reduce delays, and strengthen financial performance. This webinar explores new strategies to shorten procurement timelines, align with market conditions, and enhance decision-making through data-driven insights. 

Key topics: 

• Planning to Procurement Case Studies —Processes and systems to shorten timeline to months from multi-year activities. 
• Accelerating Procurement Timelines – Unlock cost savings, optimize resources, and speed up project deployment without compromising accuracy. 
• Optimizing Asset Selection – Align procurement with market conditions to minimize risk and maximize project value. 
• Advancing Sustainability Goals – Use marginal emissions analysis to accelerate emissions reductions and optimize environmental impact reporting. 
• Communicating with Data – Apply quantitative storytelling to drive stakeholder alignment and faster decision-making.

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Soaring load growth, rapidly increasing electricity demand, and significant additions of intermittent renewable resources to the supply stack have produced observable shifts in real-time price peaks and associated high volatility. These fundamental market changes pose significant challenges to hedging approaches and instruments traditionally used by energy retailers.

In a this  webinar, Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO of Ascend Analytics, Devdatt Maganty, Senior Manager of Portfolio Management, and Carley Dolch, Director of Business Development, share advanced hedging strategies that allow energy retailers to maintain profitability and construct future-proof portfolios amid razor-thin margins and unpredictable market dynamics.

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Batteries are uniquely poised to earn supernormal returns during the energy transition. However, the long-term uncertainty of storage value, as well as the variability of revenue capture by storage, can challenge the ability of low-risk, low-cost investors to provide the capital needed to accelerate renewable energy storage deployment across the U.S.

In this webinar, Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO of Ascend Analytics, and Adam Hise, Managing Director of Storage Risk Solutions, discuss how Ascend's EnSurance™ revenue insurance solution can help accelerate storage deployment by transferring market risk away from assets so as to enable more efficient storage project financing.

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Substantial opportunities exist for merchant storage projects to capitalize on renewable-driven volatility in energy markets, especially in CAISO and ERCOT, which are projected to grow at 20% through 2029.  

In a recent webinar, Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO of Ascend Analytics, joined Mr. Mike Huisenga, Managing Director of Business Development, and Dr. Carlos Blanco, Managing Director of Analytic Solutions from Ascend Analytics, to discuss storage bid optimization strategies, revenue stacking, revenue-optimizing risk management practices, and the decarbonization value of batteries. 

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Resource planners must ensure resource adequacy and maximize economic value with the energy transition. Because a greater portion of energy supply flows from renewables and battery storage, maintaining reliability requires more advanced reliability planning that captures the impact of weather on unit outages, energy production, and transmission lines. Using traditional reliability models that miss the linkages of weather on unit outages and rely solely on predefined distributions or historical data can lead to biased and inconsistent results that present an inaccurate picture of system risks.

Dr. Brandon Mauch, Director of Resource Planning Analytics for Ascend Analytics, lead a webinar that discussed how weather-correlated reliability models improve resource adequacy outcomes while maximizing value. Dr. Mauch was joined by Dr. Gary Dorris, CEO and Co-Founder of Ascend Analytics, and Mr. Zachary Brode, Manager of Analytics for Ascend.

In this webinar, analyze considerations for the role of temperature and correlated outages in RA assessment, role of storage and duration implications for RA analysis, ELCC by resource type, and emerging technologies to support renewable integration.

In this webinar, we review clean energy procurement and M&A trends relevant to Corporates, CCAs, Utilities, Investors & Asset Owners.

This webinar introduces new approaches beyond PPAs to increase project value for renewables and storage.

Maximize the value of storage and hybrids and live operations with adaptive forecasting to market conditions that continuously optimize bid curves to provide the competitive edge.

In this webinar, Ascend will describe the IRA bonus tax credits and identify areas where power market dynamics and tax incentives coincide for better-than-ever investment in the energy transition. We’ll also uncover new geographic opportunities that have materialized.

This webinar will cover key developments since Ascend's last forecasts and estimated changes for upcoming releases to address rising gas prices, stranded asset risks for thermals, and growing renewable penetrations.

In this webinar, Ascend's resource planning experts will discuss: risks of load shortfalls in today’s systems,  model requirements for best practices in resource adequacy analysis, resource adequacy metrics and their use in planning and ELCC analysis of weather-driven and energy limited resources.

This presentation will cover what energy investors and developers need to understand about power markets as the energy transition progresses.

This webinar will explore the relative risk and return of alternative contract mechanisms and how to shape a portfolio that leverages high market conditions for increased return on capital and our portfolio risk management experts will discuss how to assemble an OTC contract structure and compare relative risk and return.

Learn how to support project financing with strategies to derisk merchant battery storage.

Renewable & Storage Procurement in CA: 2021 was a big year for renewable and storage procurement in California. In this webinar, Ascend's clean energy procurement experts will discuss their take aways from 2021.