Ascend Analytics Surpasses 5 GW of Battery Storage Assets Managed with SmartBidder

Ascend is the largest independent provider of bid optimization to the U.S. battery storage market, with more than 30 customers and assets spanning ERCOT, CAISO and PJM

BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascend Analytics ("Ascend"), the leading provider of market intelligence and analytics solutions for the power industry, today announced that its SmartBidder™ platform now optimizes more than 5.2 gigawatts (GW) of operating battery energy storage capacity in U.S. wholesale power markets. The milestone reflects live, commercially operating assets under active management and further establishes Ascend as the largest independent provider of bid optimization services to the U.S. storage market.

The operating portfolio spans three markets and more than 30 customers, with approximately 4 GW under management in ERCOT, 1 GW in CAISO and 200 megawatts (MW) in PJM. Ascend crossed the 5 GW threshold in the second quarter of 2026 with the onboarding of assets for California Community Power, a Joint Power Agency, and San Diego Community Power, a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA), that have contracted storage capacity to serve loads they manage directly or on behalf of their members.

"Five gigawatts is a significant milestone and tells part of the story. What is equally impressive is the breadth of assets behind that number. SmartBidder optimizes everything from 3-megawatt batteries to 300-megawatt batteries, one-hour to eight-hour durations, standalone, hybrid and resources co-located with wind and solar facilities, operating in three ISOs under unique market rules," said Michael Huisenga, Managing Director, Bid Optimization at Ascend Analytics. "Load-serving entities, in particular, are taking on market exposure with a new asset class they may not have managed before. Leveraging the experience of the SmartBidder solution and our team of experts to deploy customized, risk-constrained, automated bidding strategies gives them the tools to achieve their portfolio objectives."

Longer-duration storage is a growing share of Ascend's portfolio, with SmartBidder managing one of the first eight-hour duration batteries to reach commercial operation in CAISO, as well as one of the first four-hour duration batteries to come online in ERCOT. Ascend has also been an early mover in PJM, where it has optimized storage for more than two years and now manages 200 MW of operating capacity. Most of the operating storage fleet in PJM are short duration (<1hr) batteries that were deployed to provide frequency regulation service only. Ascend is one of very few providers running bid optimization for longer-duration resources (2-4hrs) that provide frequency regulation, reserves, and energy arbitrage services, while adapting the bidding algorithms to successive market rule changes along the way.

"Storage is becoming the balancing resource for the U.S. power system, and the economics of every one of these assets come down to how well it is bid into the market," said Matt Tormollen, Chief Executive Officer of Ascend Analytics. "Ascend's forecasts sit at the foundation of more than $50 billion in project financing assessments. Managing more than 5 gigawatts of operating storage means we also see how those assets perform hour by hour, in real markets, under real conditions. That lifecycle, from long-term valuation through to real-time dispatch, is why utilities and power producers increasingly choose Ascend to help navigate rapidly shifting power markets."

SmartBidder combines probabilistic short-term price forecasting with configurable opportunity cost-based bid optimization in one seamless automated solution, allowing storage operators to capture value across day-ahead and real-time markets for energy and ancillary services, while managing state of charge, degradation and contractual constraints.

Additional information can be found at https://www.ascendanalytics.com/solutions/smartbidder. 

About Ascend Analytics

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 supply, procurement, and investment markets to plan, operate, monetize, and manage risk for renewable energy and storage 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.

SOURCE Ascend Analytics