Catalyst

Core Features

Catalyst combines technical battery modelling with electricity market analysis and project finance calculations. Its core capabilities include:

• Battery Storage Sizing and Optimization: Evaluates thousands of configurations with different power capacities, storage durations and investment costs. Users can identify economically attractive configurations based on net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and other financial indicators.

• Electricity Market Revenue Modelling: Estimates revenue from day-ahead and intraday electricity trading, frequency containment reserve (FCR), automatic frequency restoration reserve (aFRR) and other balancing services. It incorporates country-specific market arrangements and revenue stacking opportunities.

• Battery Performance and Degradation Simulation: Models battery efficiency, cell chemistry, degradation curves, cycle life and operating constraints. Quarter-hourly dispatch simulations account for battery performance and market conditions when estimating long-term revenues.

• Financial Forecasting and Risk Analysis: Calculates project cash flows, capital expenditure, debt service coverage ratios, payback periods, etc. Scenario and sensitivity analyses help users evaluate how changes in market prices, investment costs and operating assumptions affect profitability.

• Renewable Energy Co-Location Analysis: Models battery storage combined with solar and wind installations, accounting for generation profiles, grid connection limits, curtailment and regulatory restrictions. Users can compare standalone renewable projects with different hybrid configurations.

• Data Integration and Investment Reporting: Supports custom electricity price curves, API connections and structured data exports. Users can generate PDF reports and Excel workbooks for investment committees, lenders and internal financial modelling.

Closing Insights

Catalyst was developed by phelas, a Munich-based energy technology company originally focused on liquid-air energy storage. Its modelling capabilities have been demonstrated through several industry collaborations addressing different renewable energy investment questions. phelas has recently worked with Fluence to assess battery co-location at a 25 MW German wind project and with greentech to examine optimal battery sizing for solar installations.

Catalyst's European electricity market coverage and transparent modelling methodology are therefore particularly relevant to developers and financiers evaluating storage investments. However, projected revenues depend on assumptions about electricity prices, regulations and battery performance. The software supports investment analysis rather than guaranteeing project profitability.