Ascend Analytics, the leading provider of market intelligence and analytics solutions for the energy transition, today announced that it has launched a sales process on behalf of ESA Solar Energy, LLC ("ESA Solar") for its MISO battery energy storage system (BESS) portfolio. The portfolio, located across Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, includes 36 early-stage BESS projects, with the potential for approximately 6 gigawatts (GW) of storage capacity.

ESA Solar, a leading solar and energy storage development platform, has a proven track record in BESS, utility-scale solar, community solar, and commercial and industrial solar. ESA Solar has been an early mover in MISO, actively developing renewable energy projects in that region since 2017. Load growth, thermal retirements, and growing renewable penetration are all expected to further drive energy price volatility and heightened demand for capacity in MISO. Combined with energy storage mandates in some MISO states, Ascend expects the fundamentals to be conducive to significant energy storage deployment in some parts of MISO towards the end of the decade and into the early 2030s.

The portfolio features projects that have been diligenced and selected for their commercial feasibility and attractiveness to potential off-takers. Future buyers will benefit from ESA's development services support, including interconnection, environmental permitting, and engineering. These projects offer developer/IPP buyers a head-start in the early-stage development process.

Ascend's AEX Asset Sales platform and advisory service, which is part of Ascend's ecosystem of energy transition software and consulting services, provides buyers with an objective and streamlined sales process. Interested independent power producers and investors looking to own and operate BESS projects in north MISO will benefit from AEX's proven framework, as well as the insights and risk mitigation strategies of Ascend's proprietary Market Intelligence, PowerVAL/BatterySIMM™, EnSurance™, and SmartBidder™ products.

"ESA Solar's track record as an early mover, whose long history of proven development capabilities in the region reflects a deep understanding of the nuances of MISO's energy transition, presents a compelling proposition for the market," said Rahm Orenstein, Managing Director of the Ascend Energy Exchange. "Coupled with the strategically located projects in this portfolio, optimized based on Ascend's valuation analysis, buyers looking to enter the north MISO BESS market will have a significant head-start through these assets."

"We are delighted to be working with Ascend to bring this portfolio to market, leveraging their asset valuation expertise and deep pool of high-quality buyers, so that we find the right partners to develop this portfolio through construction and beyond," said Lindsay Latre, CEO of ESA Solar. "As MISO's energy transition continues to accelerate, the energy price volatility grows, increasing the demand and opportunity for strategically located, high-quality battery storage assets."

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