Uprise and Gurobi Join Forces to Optimize Battery Energy Storage Deployment Strategy for Statkraft in Croatia
In a strategic partnership aimed at advancing Europe’s transition to cleaner and more intelligent energy systems, Uprise, a prominent energy consultancy and software development firm, has collaborated with Gurobi Optimization, LLC, a global leader in decision intelligence technology. Together, they’ve supported Statkraft, Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy, in developing a high-impact optimization strategy for deploying battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Croatia.
This collaboration underscores the growing importance of intelligent software tools in tackling the challenges of modern energy markets. With the increasing integration of intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, battery storage is becoming essential for ensuring grid stability and optimizing energy use. However, the deployment of such systems requires careful planning, accurate financial modeling, and advanced optimization techniques to justify investment and maximize returns.
A Critical Mission: Statkraft’s Expansion into Croatia
As a state-owned Norwegian energy giant with a growing footprint across Europe, Statkraft has been seeking opportunities to diversify its energy assets and establish a competitive presence in the Croatian power market. The country’s evolving regulatory landscape and strategic location in the Southeast European grid make it a promising market for advanced energy technologies, particularly BESS.
Statkraft’s goal was to assess the financial and operational feasibility of introducing BESS infrastructure into this market. To do so, the company needed an in-depth route-to-market study—one that could simulate a wide range of trading scenarios and deliver solid financial insights to present to its board of directors. Recognizing the complex nature of the Croatian electricity market and the technical sophistication required, Statkraft turned to Uprise for their expertise.
Why Uprise?
Uprise, headquartered in Europe, has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in the fields of energy strategy, grid modeling, and market analytics. The company focuses on enabling utilities, investors, and grid operators to make data-driven decisions, especially when dealing with renewable integration, demand forecasting, and energy trading.
A key differentiator for Uprise in this project was its partnership with Gurobi Optimization, LLC. Gurobi provides one of the most powerful solvers available for mathematical programming, enabling decision-makers to solve large, complex problems at unprecedented speed.
“In the energy sector, speed is extremely important, and problems exhibit a high degree of complexity. For example, energy portfolio and electrical power grid optimizations are typically performed daily, often multiple times per day, and usually with strict time constraints,” said Zlatko Ofak, Business Development and Innovation Lead at Uprise. “That’s why we rely on Gurobi—to solve sophisticated models quickly and accurately.”
From Data to Decision: Building the Optimization Framework
To ensure the study provided actionable insights, Uprise took a holistic modeling approach. First, the team gathered and synthesized a wide range of inputs—covering capital and operational expenditures, historical market behavior, regulatory constraints, and forecasts for energy prices and demand in Croatia.
The core of the project was an advanced optimization model designed to simulate both technical operations of a BESS and its commercial viability in various market scenarios. The model accounted for:
- Multiple energy market participation strategies (e.g., day-ahead, intraday, frequency regulation)
- Battery degradation and cycling limits
- Energy arbitrage opportunities
- Regulatory and policy constraints
- CapEx, OpEx, and maintenance schedules
- Revenue stacking across services
Using Gurobi’s solver engine, Uprise was able to simulate hundreds of market behaviors, storage dispatch strategies, and operational trade-offs. Each iteration provided granular projections—ranging from internal rate of return (IRR) and net present value (NPV) to scenario-based sensitivities for risk and performance. This level of detail enabled Statkraft to better understand the financial upside and technical risks involved.
Impressive Results: 12–25% Revenue Boost Identified
One of the most significant findings of the study was the value of an hourly multimarket optimization strategy. Instead of relying solely on single-market participation (e.g., focusing just on energy arbitrage), the optimization model revealed that a dynamic trading approach—adjusting to real-time market conditions and participating in multiple markets—could generate between 12% and 25% higher revenue compared to conventional methods.
These findings were not only illuminating for Statkraft’s project team but also instrumental in securing internal alignment and stakeholder buy-in. “With this study, we were able to analyze different market approaches and understand which scenario was best for us in order to move forward,” said Krešimir Benčić, Senior Project Developer at Statkraft. “We now have the information we need to present to the board, and we got some valuable feedback that we will also be able to use if we move forward with other battery projects in the future.”
Strategic Implications and Broader Impact
The success of the project has implications beyond Croatia. For Statkraft, it presents a viable blueprint for evaluating BESS projects in other emerging or complex energy markets. The scalable modeling approach, driven by Gurobi’s optimization capabilities and Uprise’s market expertise, is transferable to similar investments across Europe and globally.
Moreover, it serves as a case study in how digital transformation, through advanced analytics and AI-powered optimization, is reshaping how energy companies make capital allocation decisions. In today’s high-stakes energy transition, static feasibility studies are no longer sufficient. Decision-makers demand dynamic, scenario-based tools that can reflect real-world complexity and uncertainty.
“This project showcases how data science and decision intelligence are becoming core to energy infrastructure planning,” noted Duke Perrucci, CEO of Gurobi Optimization. “We are proud to partner with Uprise to help companies like Statkraft navigate an increasingly complex energy landscape and develop solutions that are powering a more sustainable future.”
Toward a Smarter, Greener Energy Future
Battery energy storage systems are not just tools for grid stability—they are becoming critical assets for optimizing energy markets. As energy producers and investors look to decarbonize and decentralize, the ability to forecast returns, model risks, and adapt strategies in real time will be a competitive differentiator.
The partnership between Uprise and Gurobi exemplifies how collaboration between domain experts and technology leaders can produce tangible value in this evolving ecosystem. It highlights the role of optimization software as a linchpin in accelerating the deployment of low-carbon technologies.
For Uprise, the project solidifies its position as a trusted advisor in Europe’s renewable and grid transformation efforts. For Gurobi, it affirms the growing demand for its high-performance solver in mission-critical energy applications.
