Best Practices

Recent Ascend Analytics “Best Practices” Course A Rousing Success

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Have you ever wondered how good Ascend Analytics’ Best Practices In Risk-Based Resource Planning Course is?  The latest round of attendees in San Francisco, California, offered nothing but high praise for the course’s material and its instructor, Ascend CEO Gary Dorris.

“I will be a much smarter regulator because of this course,” said California Public Utilities Commission analyst Alexander Cole; and David Miller, a senior regulatory analyst at CPUC, summed it up as “succinct relevant material expertly delivered.

The course came at just the right time for Ken Wong and his employer, Hawaiian Electric Company, where he serves as senior corporate energy planning engineer.  “We are very pleased with the conference as the time was perfect.  For several years we wanted to move toward incorporating stochastic analysis in our planning work so we could assess the variability of uncertainties we face.  We just didn’t have the software tools,” Wong said.  “We are looking to you to help train us by doing a stochastic analysis of our recent planning effort using your software.”

Ascend Analytics achieves “Best Practices” through Evergreen Economics Report

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Ascend Analytics is proud to announce that it has achieved “best practices” through an Evergreen Economics Report.  In January 2014, the State of Montana Public Service Commission engaged Evergreen Economics, a third party consulting firm, to assist Commission staff in reviewing analysis conducted by NorthWestern Energy (NWE) and Ascend Analytics in support of NWE’s $900 million bid to acquire 11 hydroelectric generation assets from PPL Montana.  Through a systematic and thorough evaluation of Ascend’s software models and analysis, Evergreen Economics recognized Ascend’s models’ consistency and completeness with industry “best practices.”  It is highly unusual for a third party to give high praise in an evaluation, therefore Ascend is pleased with the outcome of this assessment.  Evergreen’s report further solidifies Ascend as a leader in portfolio management and long-term resource planning.  Ascend continues to stand apart from the competition by offering industry recognized “best practice” models and analysis, which enable power producers to better evaluate their portfolios, assess their risks, and maximize their revenues.

California PUC Request Ascend Training on Risk Based Resource Planning and Opens Seminar to the Public

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Ascend Analytics to present Best Practices in Risk Based Resource Planning
October 20-21, 2014

This course builds on the success of Ascend’s new risk based modeling approach for resource planning that has been utilized in regulatory filings in MT and CA.

Dr. Gary Dorris our President at Ascend Analytics, will be presenting at the upcoming EUCI course to speak on the Best Practices in Risk Based Resource Planning.

Dr. Dorris has been a pioneer of innovative solutions for energy planning and risk. Gary has introduced utilities to new solutions to model and analyze planning portfolios. His analytic innovations and expertise are sought by industry leaders including expert testimony in some of the most prominent resource planning and risk management proceedings in the country. His company’s software solutions are used by 3 of the top 5 utilities in America and more COOPs and municipalities.

For more information about this upcoming conference:  Best Practices in Risk Based Resource Planning