Why Catalyst
The BESS modelling platform your team will actually use.
Catalyst combines financial rigour with engineering precision so you can focus on decisions, not data wrangling.
Accuracy
Physics-based degradation models and multi-scenario analysis you can defend in front of lenders — not rule-of-thumb spreadsheet assumptions.
Speed
What used to take days in Excel now takes minutes. Run dozens of scenarios before your next stakeholder call.
Confidence
Full audit trail, transparent assumptions, and investor-grade outputs ready for investment committees and lender due diligence.
The Problem
Spreadsheets are holding BESS projects back.
Broken assumptions, invisible errors
Excel models circulate between teams, accumulate copy-paste mistakes, and carry hidden assumptions that nobody can trace. When a lender asks "where does this IRR come from?", the answer is a chain of linked cells that nobody fully understands anymore.
Physics that doesn't match reality
Generic financial models ignore battery degradation, round-trip efficiency curves, state-of-charge constraints, and grid fee structures. The result: revenue projections that look optimistic on screen and underperform in the field.
Weeks lost to rework
Every change in market assumptions — a new FCR tender result, an updated grid fee, a revised CapEx — requires hours of manual model updates. Scenario analysis that should take an afternoon stretches into weeks.
Catalyst vs. spreadsheet-based BESS analysis
| Catalyst | Spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue stream coverage | FCR, aFRR, Day-Ahead, Intraday, EEG co-location, ramp-rate constraints | Manual, often incomplete |
| Battery degradation model | Physics-based (cycle aging, calendar aging) | Rule-of-thumb flat degradation |
| Multi-scenario analysis | Automated — run 50+ configs in minutes | Manual duplication, error-prone |
| Audit trail | Every assumption logged and traceable | None — cell formulas only |
| Bankable output | Investor-ready PDF reports | Requires manual formatting |
| Time to full scenario | 2–3 hours | 1–3 weeks |
| Grid fee integration | Automated for DE, AT, CH markets | Manual input, frequently outdated |
Built for investment-grade analysis
Multi-market revenue stacking
Model FCR, aFRR, Day-Ahead and Intraday arbitrage simultaneously — with the constraints that real dispatch systems face. Catalyst uses historical market data and forward curves to build defensible revenue projections across all European markets.
Co-location economics
Wind + BESS and PV + BESS projects require special treatment: EEG regulation, ramp-rate constraints, and shared grid connection capacity all change the economics significantly. Catalyst models co-location precisely, including the impact of changing EEG market premiums.
Project finance documentation
Generate DSCR analysis, sensitivity tables, and lender-ready assumptions packages directly from your model. No manual reformatting — the bankable output is built into the workflow. Investment committees and project finance banks can trace every assumption.
Who uses Catalyst
Project Developers
Screen sites and complete feasibility studies in hours, not weeks. Model dozens of BESS configurations side by side to find the optimal asset size and technology mix before committing CapEx.
Independent Power Producers (IPPs)
Standardise your portfolio methodology so every asset is evaluated with the same assumptions. Run stress tests across your whole portfolio to understand revenue sensitivity to FCR price movements or regulatory changes.
Project Finance Advisors
Produce bankable documentation with traceable assumptions from a single consistent model. Catalyst outputs are designed for lender due diligence — not built to be translated into a separate financial model afterward.
Ready to see it in action?
Book a 30-minute demo and see how Catalyst fits into your project workflow.