SmartBidder™

Bid optimization and scheduling services for energy storage and renewables

SmartBidder™ uniquely offers a unified platform for custom bid optimization combined with scheduling services to manage asset performance and operations for storage, renewable, and hybrid assets. The solution enables users to develop their own customized bid strategies based on nodal specific forecasts, asset specific constraints, and risk-based optimization for day-ahead and real-time bids.
 

Proven Results

With dozens of operating resources under management, SmartBidder has established itself as the industry leader.

12%


SmartBidder Percentage of
Storage Assets in ISO

100%


Increase Over Traditional Energy Arbitrage Strategy

50%


Sharpe Ratio Improvement
"We selected SmartBidder because of its proven performance and unique value proposition that helps us to maximize our project revenues while managing risk."
- Vice President of Power Marketing, GridStor

SmartBidder Demonstrated Performance

SmartBidder consistently beats other scheduling services in revenue generation and risk management in side-by-side comparisons because of SmartBidder's advanced AI forecasts of market conditions and bid optimization agents.  

Strategic Advantage: SmartBidder Outperforms the Competition

Strategic Advantage: SmartBidder Outperforms the Competition

SmartBidder revenue exceeds Scheduler B's in a head-to-head comparison by by outperforming under scarce conditions and heatwaves to take advantage of market volatility by considering a broader set of forecasts in its optimization algorithm.

Reduce Risk & Increase Revenue

SmartBidder allows asset scheduling teams to formulate their own bidding strategies while leveraging the software’s analytic strength. Empowered with the SmartBidder platform to formulate and validate custom bidding strategies, teams can evaluate multiple options and settings to control risk and return.

Cumulative Returns: Comparison of Multiple Operating Strategies

Cumulative Returns: Comparison of Multiple Operating Strategies

In-depth reporting enables users to evaluate and tune multiple strategies across a suite of performance and risk metrics with help from our team of analysts. The resulting strategies (shown above) compare cumulative returns of perfect DA energy arbitrage (TB4) and Ancillaries Only to more complex customized bidding strategies with varying DA exposure. 

Gain a Competitive Advantage

Using a mosaic of models, SmartBidder creates a more complete information weave of future market conditions. This unique approach to forecasting provides a competitive advantage through capturing both average and extreme events. SmartBidder’s agents use reinforced machine learning to determine day-ahead and real-time bids based on node-specific forecasts and user inputs, leveraging enhanced forecast accuracy to realize revenues.

SmartBidder Insights Made Actionable

SmartBidder's adaptive and risk-adjusted recommendations, combined with in-depth data and performance reporting, enabling users to define and track multiple strategies based on risk and strategic objectives.

System & Price Forecasting

System & Price Forecasting

Our forecasts provide a competitive advantage through a system of models that reinforce or redirect a future market bid position. Our probabilistic approach to modeling provides a more granular lens into the future and results in a more comprehensive forecast.

System & Price Forecasting

System & Price Forecasting

SmartBidder also allows users to formulate their own strategies, leveraging Ascend’s mosaic of models for price forecasting and bidding agents. Users can further control bids through manual overrides when desired, and the agents will re-optimize subsequent bids accordingly.

Make Confident Decisions

SmartBidder leverages its models and sophisticated state of charge management to pursue opportunities from RT volatility while fulfilling DA market obligations. The bid optimization agents account for physical asset constraints and warranty limits on the battery.

SmartBidder provides both the actionable intelligence and the situational awareness to make informed decisions from strategy formulation and selection to daily operations. Dashboards provide critical data with background information a click away. 

Smart Performance Dashboards

SmartBidder was able to charge the battery throughout the day by fulfilling DA ancillary commitments and then take advantage of the forecast RT energy price spike in the evening to maximize revenue.

SmartBidder was able to charge the battery throughout the day by fulfilling DA ancillary commitments and then take advantage of the forecast RT energy price spike in the evening to maximize revenue.

System & Price Forecasting

SmartBidder took advantage of the low energy prices during the day-time to charge through providing Reg-Down ancillary services and sell into real-time energy during the high valued early evening hours.

Rapid Deployment

SmartBidder integrates seamlessly with energy management systems, schedulers, renewable forecast providers, and more. The SmartBidder API allows users to programmatically and flexibly access data on the operations of their asset.
With each SmartBidder deployment, Ascend Analytics provides an asset-specific Risk Policies and Procedures that set guardrails for strategy formulation, and bid overrides based on your specific risk posture, and physical warranty constraints.

SmartScheduler: Unified Scheduling

Ascend Analytics SmartScheduler offers complete scheduling services for every ISO in the United States, including full Level 4 QSE services in ERCOT and EIM operations.

SmartScheduler is a Member, Market Participant, Qualified Scheduling Entity (QSE), and Scheduling Coordinator (SC) in all six U.S. RTOs/ISOs with NERC-certified operator and full audit support. Ascend will facilitate the submittal of bids and offers to the ISO and provide the required registration and collateral management support.

Automated submission of bids to the ISO and harvesting of awards

Required technical and security integrations with the ISO to maintain ongoing bi-directional communications between your asset and the ISO

24/7 support for bid submission via live desk

Cutting-edge modeling and dedicated report-generation support to simplify scheduling, settlements, and dispatching, reducing reporting effort and audit risk and complexity

Asset registration and certificate registration with ISO

Established Scheduling Credentials

  • 13,000 MW of scheduling with a proven track record of integrating resources into the systems used in the control center and succeeding in audits
  • NERC Reliability Coordinator Certification (50 Certificates)
  • 6 ISOs and EIM operations across US

Compliance & 24x7 Support with SmartScheduler

The SmartScheduler team works closely with each ISO and analyzes market results and rule changes to ensure ongoing compliance with scheduling requirements and full market access.

SmartScheduler's core scheduling capabilities include:

  • Volume confirmations
  • Market clearing results in monitoring and management
  • Ancillary service submissions and dispatches
  • Settlements and invoicing
  • Credit and collateral commitments
  • Resource outage communications and reporting
  • Hardware installation and support for connectivity and security
  • 24/7 support by NERC-certified team to monitor asset scheduling operations and resolve ISO issues
  • Asset registration and certificate registration with ISO

Integrated Bidding and Scheduling

Unlike the traditional or other automated solutions, SmartBidder uniquely offers a unified platform for custom bid optimization combined with scheduling services.

Nodal
Forecasting

Generate probabilistic forecasts for nodal prices, DART spreads, and RT spike events

Automated
Bidding

Continuously update real-time bids according to emerging conditions and the available state of charge

SOC
Management

Incorporate expected available capacity, leverage RT volatility, and fulfill DA market obligations

Scheduling
Adaption

Develop reinforcement learning-informed bidding strategies based on realized performance

Scheduling
Services

Manage all scheduling including settlements and invoicing, communicating resource outages, reporting, and asset registration

The Ascend Advantage

Ready Analytics

"Ready to Roll" analytics and preconfigured models for any region or node

Insights

Critical insights for portfolio management in a high renewables future

Expertise

Our expertise includes planning, valuation, risk management & ISO operations

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