Learn how leading operators are preparing for 2026 and managing performance at scale in this on-demand webinar.
Power Factors is recognized for vendor-agnostic EMS technology, comprehensive monitoring and control, and scale across utility-scale renewables and energy storage.
In part four of our “Navigating Renewables in 2026” blog series, we explore why renewable energy data quality has become a defining competitive advantage, shaping portfolio performance, valuation, and M&A readiness.
In this five-part blog series, "Navigating renewables in 2026,” we explore the challenges operators are facing as the industry enters another year of unprecedented growth and how to stay ahead of the pack.
Renewable energy operators are on the cusp of unprecedented opportunity, but the margin for error has never been thinner.
As we’ve previously covered in this series, deploying performance and maintenance optimization strategies at a portfolio-level has proven to deliver the critical incremental performance gains that drive both immediate profitability and long-term ROI.
But there’s an essential element separating operators who realize those gains from those who don’t: the ability to leverage renewable energy data as a strategic asset.
Certainly, trustworthy data is required to participate in modern power markets, support market and revenue settlement, and satisfy regulatory scrutiny. But the value of clean, standardized data extends far beyond reporting and operational decision-making—it also directly affects portfolio valuation and market positioning.
Even if you don’t plan an M&A transaction anytime soon, building a foundation of reliable data intelligence positions you as a model for sophistication in the industry and widens the gap with your peers.
In this post, we’ll explain why mastering data is crucial right now and how operators who can overcome the data challenge can control their own destiny.
With M&A markets consolidating and capacity traded down 29% last year, both M&A value and volume have dropped. Buyers are more selective. They have options, prioritizing stable platforms, late-stage or already-operating projects with proven performance.
In this environment, data quality and reliability have become deciding factors in due diligence. In many cases, they’re becoming the go/no-go threshold.
Why? Because a sophisticated data strategy:
Validates portfolio performance to reduce deal risk and operational uncertainty,
Demonstrates innovation and future-ready thinking,
Solidifies market valuations with provable metrics, and
Accelerates M&A execution.
Buyers need assurance that the numbers driving their decisions are battle-tested — both accurate and traceable. Operators who can validate performance will be most attractive and command premium pricing.
It enables reliable benchmarking. Whether they’re comparing sites within the same portfolio, competing sites in the market, or entire portfolios against one another, clear, transparent data allows buyers to make more confident decisions.
Let’s say you’re a buyer evaluating two 500MW portfolios with similar geographies and vintage. One has clean, standardized operational data with automated reporting, auditable performance history, and clear data lineage. The other is running with spreadsheets, manual processes, and patchwork data integration.
Due diligence for the first portfolio might take six months because the data is clear, compelling, and verifiable. The second might take 18 months and still be fraught with risk.
Which would you choose?
Unfortunately, most operators are like the second one in this scenario: inundated with irrelevant, inconsistent, and erroneous data. The trouble is, they don’t know what’s valid and what isn’t.
Take irradiance data in a PV portfolio, for example. It’s one of the most critical signals for gauging performance.
But relentless environmental exposure can cause sensor degradation, failure, and misreporting that creates noise disguised as truth. Even minuscule faults or calibration issues can cause calculations to drift, leading to incremental errors that accumulate over time.
As a result, any analytics and forecasting will only propagate inaccuracies and be completely unreliable. Investors and operators will make critical decisions based on speculation and false premises. And the worst part is, they may not even know it.
Solving the problem requires robust Validation, Estimation, and Editing (VEE) frameworks to detect erroneous data, replace it with intelligent estimates, and maintain full traceability (a clear record of what was replaced, why, and how). But most operators don’t have the tools to conduct VEE to ensure data integrity at scale.
When that uncertainty shows up in due diligence, it gets priced accordingly.
For operators, reliable data means real-time deal readiness. Even if you don’t plan to sell right now, laying the foundation sets you up for a fast evaluation and quicker deal close if and when an opportunity arises.
Why?
Establishing a reliable data set unlocks exponential hidden value in performance and maintenance optimization, as well as market valuation and positioning. Without it, operators and buyers are left guessing—and buyers will walk away.
By 2027, independently verified data will be table stakes in standard due diligence.
That means operators who build the infrastructure now will have 18-24 months of clean history ready to prove when they transact. The ones who wait will be scrambling or unable to achieve premium valuations.
Power Factors’ Unity Suite provides the VEE at scale that asset managers need to overcome data discrepancies. With seamless integration across the entire renewable energy management tech stack, Unity fully automates the VEE process with built-in traceability for audit-ready confidence.
As complexity compounds and margins tighten, trust is currency. Unity’s end-to-end reporting and analysis provides the clarity, transparency, trust, and scale that operators, asset managers, and M&A partners need to turn data quality into a competitive advantage.
Up next, we’ll explore how AI co-pilots can turn trustworthy data into high-impact insights that transform operations and financial performance.
To learn more about the trends shaping renewables this year, access our on-demand webinar below.
In this five-part blog series, "Navigating renewables in 2026,” we explore the...
