Methods

Disclaimer

The data gathered here are for informational purposes only. Inclusion of a report in the database does not represent approval of the estimates by DOE or NREL. Levelized cost calculations DO NOT represent real world market conditions. The calculation uses a single discount rate in order to compare technology costs only.

About the Cost Database

For emerging energy technologies, a variety of cost and performance numbers are cited in presentations and reports for present-day characteristics and potential improvements. Amid a variety of sources and methods for these data, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s technology development programs determine estimates for use in program planning.

The Transparent Cost Database collects program cost and performance estimates for EERE technologies in a public forum where they can be viewed and compared to other published estimates. The database includes literature on technology cost and performance estimates (both current and future projections) for vehicles, biofuels, and electricity generation. All data are downloadable for full transparency.

This project is under active development and we welcome user suggestions for additional features or modifications to enhance usability for the energy community. The database also allows nomination of data sets for inclusion in the database or comments on the estimates used by interested users.

Database fields - generation

Data dictionary as of April 4th, 2012.

Field machine name	Field name	Field description
guid	guid	Used by database
guid_copy	guid_copy	Used by database
title	title	Used by database
Official Program Number	is_official_est	Indicates if row is program estimate. 1 indicates is program estimate.
TechnologyID	Technologyid	unique id from db
Dataset_name	DatasetName	Name of study
Year	Year	Year of study
Data_vintage_year	DataVintageYear
Technology	Technology	Type of technology
Technology_Subtype	TechnologySubtype	Technology subtype
Fuel	Fuel	Fuel type
PV_material	PvMaterial	Type of photovoltaic material
PV_axis	PvAxis	PV axis - Fixed, 1 axis or 2 axis
CSP_storage_hours	CspStorageHours	CSP - number of hours of storage at full capacity
CSP_cooling_system	CspCoolingSystem	Wet block or Dry block
Market_type	MktTypeComResUtility	Indicates Market type. eg. commercial, residential, utility
Resource_Quality_1	ResourceQuality1	Resource quality for renewable energy - describes wind and solar by class
Resource_Quality_2	ResourceQuality2	Secondary resource characterization. Currently used only for onshore and offshore wind
Capacity_MW	CapacityMw	Capacity in megawatts
Installed_Capacity_MW	InstalledCapacityMW	Installed capacity in megawatts
PV_Current_AC_or_DC	PvCurrentAcOrDc	Photovoltaic current is either AC or DC
Overnight_Capital_Cost_dollar_per_kW	OnghtCptlCostDolPerKw	Overnight capital cost dollar per kilowatt
Contingency_Factor	ContingencyFactor	Multiplication factor to original overnight capital cost allow for contingency
Overnight_Capital_Cost_dollar_per_kW_including_Contingency	OnghCptCstDlKwInclCtng	Overnight capital cost dollar per kilowatt including contingency
Learning_Factor	LearningFactor	Reduction in capital due to learning - will generally be less than 1.0
Technology_Optimism	TechnologyOptimism
Metals_Metal_Products_PPI	MetalsMetalProductsPpi	Metals index
Variable_O_M_dollar_per_MWh	VariableOMDolPerMwh	Variable operating and maintenance costs dollars per megawatts
Fixed_O_M_dollar_per_kW	FixedOMDolPerKw	Fixed operating and maintenance costs dollar per kilowatts
O_M_All-Inclusive	OMAllInclusive	All inclusive operating and maintenance costs.
Leadtime_years	Leadtimeyears	Number of years required to build - check if includes planning
Lifetime_Years	LifetimeYears	Asset life
Heat_Rate	HeatRate	Heat rate.
Thermal_Efficiency	ThermalEfficiency	Thermal efficiency
Storage_Efficiency	StorageEfficiency	Storage efficiency
Avg_Capacity_Factor	AvgCapacityFactor	Average capacity factor
Min_Capacity_Factor	MinCapacityFactor	Mininum capactiy factor
Max_Capacity_Factor	MaxCapacityFactor	Maximum capacity factor
Availability_Factor	AvailabilityFactor	Percentage of time capacity is available e.g. not unavailable due to planned or unplanned outtages
CO2_Metric_Tons_Per_MWh	Co2MetricTonsPerMwh	how much CO2 generated in metric tons per megawatt hours
Dataset_type2	DtstTypMdlMktEngnrgPgm	Dataset type. Values: Engineering, Field Data, Market Analysis, Model, Program
Modeling_version	MdlingVerCaseOrScnario	Modeling version
Dataset_web_source	DatasetWebSource	Web source of study
Dollar_Year	DolYear	Year in which dollar price is given
Materials_costs_assumptions	MtrlsCostsAssumptions	Assumptions for material costs.
Labor_costs_assumptions	LaborCostsAssumptions	Assumptions for laber costs.
Type_of_incentives_included	TypeOfIncentivesIncld	Type of incentives included
Data_Type	DataType	Data type.
Data_publication_year	DataPublicationYear	Year data published
	VariableOMDolPerMwhNote	Notes for Variable OM field
	PvMaterialNote	Notes for PV Materials field.
	GeneralCapacityFactorNote	Notes for Capacity Factor fields.
	DataVintageYearNote	Notes for Data Vintage Year field.
	DatasetNameNote	Notes for Dataset Name field.
	OnghCptCstDlKwInclCtngNote	Notes for Overnight Capital Cost field.
	FuelNote	Notes for Fuel field.
	GeneralOMNote	Notes for all OM (Operating and maintenance) fields
	HeatRateNote	Notes for Heat Rate field.
	GeneralCostsNote	Notes for cost fields.
	GeneralHeatRateEffNote	Notes for efficiency fields.
	TechnologyNote	Notes for technology field.
	GeneralNote	Notes about the study
	AvgCapacityFactorNote	Notes about the Average capacity factor field.
	OnghtCptlCostDolPerKwNote	Notes for overnight capital cost field.
Final_Capital_Cost_dollar_per_kW	FinalCptlCostDolPerKw	Final capital costs dollar per kilowatt
Final_Lifetime_Years	FinalLifetimeYears	Uses lifetime specified or uses 30 years if blank
Final_Heat_Rate	FinalHeatRate	Uses heat rate specified or used default heat rate for technology if blank
Final_Capacity_Factor	FinalCapacityFactor	Uses capacity factors specified or uses default capacity factor for technology if bank
PV_of_Depreciation	PvOfDepreciation	PV of depreciation - varies by technology
Capital_Recovery_Factor	CapitalRecoveryFactor	Capital recovery factor - varies by technology
Fuel Cost	FuelCost	Cost of fuel. Used in LCOE calculation
LCOE_7%_Discount_Rate_39.2%_Tax_Rate	LCOE	Calculated Levelized Cost Of Energy value
GenerationSourceURI
GenerationSourceDescription

Database fields - fuels

Data dictionary as of January 17th, 2012.

Field machine name	Field name	Field description
guid		Field used by database.
title		Field used by database.
is_official_est	Official Program Number	indicates if used as program estimate.
report_author	Summary of Biofuels Production Cost Estimates	Who created the report.
report_name	Andy Aden, NREL	Report name.
report_source	Updated 6/07/2011	Source of report.
FuelsGeneralComments	RESULTS	Comments about the report.
report_year	Year of publication	Year report published.
generalfueltype		Fuel type.
tech_type	General Technology Pathway	Technology type.
yearsdollars	years dollars ($)	The year dollar values are assumed.
yearsdollarnote	years dollars ($) note	Notes on years dollars($) field.
capital_cost	capital ($/gal)	Capital cost in dollars per gallon.
operating_cost	O&M, Including Taxes ($/gal)	Operations and maintenance costs including taxes in dollars per gallon.
coprodcreditdlgal	Coproduct Credit ($/gal)	Coproduct Credit ($/gal)
feedstock_cost	Feedstock cost ($/gal)	Cost of feedstock dollars per gallon.
TotalDolGal	Total ($/gal)	Total cost dollars per gallon.
TotalDolGalNote	Total ($/gal) note	Notes for Total ($/gal) field.
gge	Total ($/gge)	Total dollars per gallon gas equivalent. Sum of the costs as calculated.
TypeOfCostAnlys	Type of Cost Analysis	Cost analysis type
Fdstck	Feedstock	Feedstock type.
DlvrFstkCst	Delivered Feedstock Costs	Cost of delivered feedstock.
DlvrFstkCstUnit	Delivered Feedstock Costs unit	Unit type for Delivered feedstock costs. Eg. $/dry short ton or $/ton CO2
BmasFdrtDryMtrcTnPrDy	Biomass Feedrate (dry metric tonnes per day)	Biomass Feedrate dry metric tonnes per day
ScaleMmGalYr	Scale (MM gal/yr)	Plant scale. How much produces in million gallons per year.
TtlFlYldGlFlDryShtTnBm	total fuel yield (gal fuel/ dry short ton biomass)	Total fuel yield in gal fuel/ dry short ton biomass units
GenTmfrmYrCnstrctnStrt	General Timeframe (year construction start)	General timeframe construction started.
		Notes on General timeframe construction started field.
TechnologyNotes	Technology notes	Notes on the technology.
Coproducts	Coproducts	Coproducts from manufacturing
CnstrctnStrtupTmeYrs	Construction and startup time (years)	Number of years Construction and startup time.
OnlineCapctyFactorPrct	Online / capacity factor (%)	Percentage online capacity factor
DiscountRatePrctIrr	Discount rate (%) / IRR	Discount rate to Internal Rate of Return
TaxRatePrct	Tax rate (%)	Percent tax rate.
Depreciation	Depreciation	Depreciation
PrctDebt	% debt	Percent debt
PrctEquity	% equity	Percent equity
LoanRatePeriodPrctYrs	Loan rate / period (%, years)	Loan rate / period (%, years)
PlntLifeAnlysPeriodYrs	Plant life / analysis period (years)	Years for plant life / analysis period.
CostEscltnRatePrctAnnl	Cost Escalation rate (% annual)	Percent annual cost escalation rate.
TotalCapitalCostDol	Total Capital Cost ($)	Total Capital Cost
IncludeCoprodCredit		Field to indicate if coproduct credit should be used in LCOF calculation. 1=use it. 0=don't use it.

Database fields - vehicles

Data dictionary as of March 13th, 2012.

Field machine name	Field name	Field description
guid		Field used by database
guid_tcopy		Field used by database
title		Field used by database
SourceDocument	Source Document -	Study name
YearPublished	Year Published	Year study was published
Source	Source	Unique source label identifier
OrigSrcsCited	Original Sources Cited, if any	Original sources cited within report or elsewhere
GeneralComments	General Comments	Comments about the study
Scenario	Scenario	Scenario description given in report
ScenarioLabel	Scenario - Label	Conservative,Moderate, Optimistic, Mod to Optimistic, Not specified, Actual
ScenarioPercentile	Scenario - Percentile (only if stated)	Scenario percentile if stated
VhclTypeGeneral	Vehicle Type - General	Vehicle type - report description rather than label
VhclTypeLabel	Vehicle Type - Label	Type of vehicle. Valid values: Conventional Gasoline, Conventional Diesel, Gasoline Hybrid, Diesel Hybrid, PHEV, Battery, Fuel Cell, Advanced Gasoline, Natural Gas
VhclSizeLabel	Vehicle Size - Label	Size of vehicle. Valid values: Midside, SUV, Compact, Pick up, Not specified
BuildYear	Build Year	Year built.
CurrencyType		Currency type for dollar values.
ConversionRateUsed		Conversion Rate Used in US dollar columns.
TtlVhclCstRtlMsrpDlEur	Total Vehicle Cost (Retail or MSRP) ($ or Euros)	Total Vehicle Cost (Retail or MSRP) ($ or Euros)
TtlVhclCstRtlMsrpUsd		Total vehicle cost in US dollars
VhclCstRtlMsrpDlEur	Vehicle Cost (Retail or MSRP) ($ or Euros)	Vehicle Cost (Retail or MSRP) ($ or Euros)
VhclCstRtlMsrpUsd		Vehicle Cost in US dollars.
VhclPrcIcrmtlRtlMsrp	Vehicle Price (Incremental) (Retail or MSRP)$ or Euros	Vehicle Price (Incremental) (Retail or MSRP)$ or Euros
VhclPrcIcrmtlRtlMsrpUsd		Vehicle Price in US dollars.
MppngVehPriceIcrmntl	Mapping - Vehicle Price (Incremental) ($ or Euros)	Incremental cost to base price
VhclCstManufactDlEur	Vehicle Cost (Manufact) $ or Euros	Vehicle Cost (Manufact) $ or Euros
VhclCstManufactUsd		Vehicle Cost in US dollars.
VhclPrcIcrmtlManuDlEur	Vehicle Price (Incremental) (Manu)$ or Euros	Vehicle Price (Incremental) (Manu)$ or Euros
VhclPrcIcrmtlManuUsd		Vehicle incremental price in US dollars.
ConstantDlYear	Constant $(year)	Constant year dollars assumption
CumSalesFiguresK	Cum Sales Figures (K)	Cumulative sales figures
CumSalesFiguresKUsd		Cumlative sales figures in US dollars.
EstmtdVhclManufCst	estimated vehicle manuf cost (some raw data, some estimated) $	Estimated vehicle manufacturing cost (some raw data, some estimated) in US dollars
CalculatedMpgg	Calculated mpgg - Not raw data	Calculated miles per gallon gasoline
FuelEffcncyOnRoad	Fuel Efficiency (On Road)	On road Fuel Efficiency
FuelEffcncyOnRoadUnits	Fuel Efficiency (On Road) Units	On road Fuel Efficiency Units. Valid values: gal/100 miles, mpgge, litres/100km, MJ/km, kWh/km
FuelEfncyOnRoadDrvCycl	Fuel Efficiency (On Road) Drive Cycle	On road Fuel Efficiency Drive Cycle
FuelUseMjKm	Fuel Use (MJ/km)	Fuel use in Mega-Joules/kilometers
FuelType	Fuel Type	Type of fuel used by vehicle. Valid values: Gasoline, Diesel, Gas & Elec, Diesel & Elec, Electricity, Hydrogen, H2 & Elec, Ethanol Flex Fuel, Natural gas, Propane
NonElectOnlyMode	Non-Elect Only Mode	Mpgge - Non electric mode only
ElctrcityOnlyMode	Electricity Only Mode	Mpgge - Electric mode only
FuelUplift	Fuel Uplift	Mpgge uplift of base mileage (>1.0)
ElctrcityUplift	Electricity uplift	Mpgge uplift of base mileage - for electric only mode (>1.0)
BattryOnlyRngNomMiles	Battery only range (Nom) (miles)	Battery only range - nominal
BattryOnlyRngMiles	Battery only range (miles)	Range in miles battery only
SeriesOrParallelDrvtrn	Series or Parallel Drivetrain	Indicates if drivetrain is series or parallel.
DiscountRateReal	Discount Rate (real)	Discount rate
AssetLifeYrs	Asset Life (Yrs)	Asset life in years.
AnnualKmTravelled	Annual km travelled	Annual kilometers traveled
PowerTrainCstDl	Power Train Cost ($)	Power Train Cost
PowerTrainCstDlUsd		Power train cost in US dollars.
BattryCstDlKwhNmplate	Battery Cost ($/kWh) - Nameplate	Battery cost nameplate in dollar per kilowatt hour.
BattryCstDlKwhNmplateUsd		Battery cost nameplate in US dollars.
BattryCstDlKwh	Battery cost ($/kWh)	Battery cost in dollars per kilowatt hour.
BattryCstDlKwhUsd		Battery cost per killowatt hour in US dollars.
BattryPowerKw	Battery Power (kW)	Batter power in kilowatt hours
BattryEnrgyKwhNmPlate	Battery Energy (KWh) Name Plate	Battery energy (kWh) nameplate
BattryEnrgyKwh	Battery Energy (kWh)	Battery Energy (kWh)
Soc	SOC	State of charge
BattryCycleLifeOverSoc	Battery Cycle Life over SOC	Battery life over SOC
BattryLifetimeYears	Battery Lifetime (years)	Battery life in years.
BattryTech	Battery Tech	Battery technology.
BattryCstDl	Battery Cost ($)	Battery cost.
BattryCstDlUsd		Battery Cost in US dollars.
BattryWeightKg	Battery Weight (kg)	Weight of batter in kilograms.
EnginePowerKw	Engine Power (kW)	Engine power in kilowatts
EngineWeightKg	Engine Weight (kg))	Weight of engine in kilograms.
EngineCstDl	Engine Cost ($)	Cost of engine.
EngineCstDlUsd		Cost of engine in US dollars.
MotorPowerKw	Motor Power (kW)	Motor power in kilowatts
MotorWeightKg	Motor Weight (kg)	Weight of motor in kilograms.
MotorCstDl	Motor Cost ($)	Cost of motor.
MotorCstDlUsd		Motor cost in US dollars.
FuelCellLifetimeYears	Fuel Cell Lifetime (years)	Number of years of life of fuel cell.
FuelCellTech	Fuel Cell Tech	Fuel cell technology.
FuelCellWeightKg	Fuel Cell Weight (kg)	Weight of fuel cell in kilograms.
FuelCellCstDl	Fuel Cell Cost ($)	Cost of fuel cell.
FuelCellCstDlUsd		Cost of fuel cell in US dollars.
FuelCellCstDlKw	Fuel Cell Cost ($/kW)	Cost of Fuel cell ($/kW)
FuelCellCstDlKwUsd		Cost of fuel cell per kilowatt in US dollars.
FuelCellPowerKw	Fuel Cell Power (kW)	Fuel cell power in kilowatts.
HyrdgnStorageCstDl	Hydrogen Storage Cost ($)	Hydrogen storage costs.
HyrdgnStorageCstDlUsd		Hydrogen storage costs in US dollars.
HybridizationRatio	Hybridization Ratio	Ratio of hybridization.
WeightKg	Weight (kg)	Weight of vehicle in kilograms.
Acceration060MphS	Acceration (0-60 mph (s))	Acceleration from 0-60 miles per hour in seconds.
PowerHorsepower	Power (horsepower)	Horsepower
PowerRpm	Power (RPM)	Power in revolutions per minute
InfrstrcPerVhclHyrdgn	Infrastruc per vehicle for Hydrogen	Incremental infrastructure cost per hydrogen vehicle
InfrstrcPerVhclElctrc	Infrastruc per vehicle for Electric	Incremental infrastructure cost per electric vehicle
CstOfCharger	Cost of charger	Cost of charger
CstOfChargerUsd		Cost of charger in US dollars.
BattryEffcncy	Battery Efficiency	Battery Efficiency
VhclTypeGeneralNote	Vehicle Type - General Note	Notes for Vehicle type-general field.
VhclTypeLabelNote	Vehicle Type - Label Note	Notes for Vehicle Type - Label field.
FuelEffcncyOnRoadNote	Fuel Efficiency (On Road) Note	Notes for Fuel Efficiency (On Road) field.
EngineCstDlNote	Engine Cost ($) Note	Notes for Engine Cost ($) field.
WeightKgNote	Weight (kg) Note	Notes for Weight (kg) field.
FuelEffcncyOnRoadUnitsNote	Fuel Efficiency (On Road) Units Note	Notes for Fuel Efficiency (On Road) Units field.
AnnualKmTravelledNote	Annual km travelled Note	Notes for Annual km travelled field.
BattryLifetimeYearsNote	Battery Lifetime (years) Note	Notes for Battery Lifetime (years) field.
BattryOnlyRngNomMilesNote	Battery only range (Nom) (miles) Note	Notes for Battery only range (Nom) (miles) field.
SeriesOrParallelDrvtrnNote	Series or Parallel Drivetrain Note	Notes for Series or Parallel Drivetrain field.
DiscountRateRealNote	Discount Rate (real) Note	Notes for Discount Rate (real) field.
InfrstrcPerVhclHyrdgnNote	Infrastruc per vehicle for Hydrogen Note	Notes for Infrastruc per vehicle for Hydrogen field.
CumSalesFiguresKNote	Cum Sales Figures (K) Note	Notes for Cum Sales Figures (K) field.
BattryCstDlNote	Battery Cost ($) Note	Notes for Battery Cost ($) field.
VhclCstRtlMsrpDlEurNote	Vehicle Cost (Retail or MSRP) ($ or Euros) Note	Notes for Vehicle Cost (Retail or MSRP) ($ or Euros) field.
BattryTechNote	Battery Tech Note	Notes for Battery Tech field.
BattryEnrgyKwhNote	Battery Energy (kWh) Note	Notes for Battery Energy (kWh) field.
FuelCellCstDlNote	Fuel Cell Cost ($) Note	Notes for Fuel Cell Cost ($) field.
VhclPrcIcrmtlRtlMsrpNote	Vehicle Price (Incremental) (Retail or MSRP)$ or Euros Note	Notes for Vehicle Price (Incremental) (Retail or MSRP)$ or Euros field.
VhclPrcIcrmtlManuDlEurNote	Vehicle Price (Incremental) (Manu)$ or Euros Note	Notes for Vehicle Price (Incremental) (Manu)$ or Euros field.
Is_official_est		Indicates if is program estimate.
LCOD	calculation	Calculated levelized cost of driving.
	PHEV only	for calculation purpose, value copied into LCOD column
VehiclesSourceURI	Source URI
VehiclesSourceDescription	Vehicles Source Description

Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) Forumulas

Levelizing costs in the database for all technologies is based on a similar calculation, with:

Levelized cost = total costs (including annualized capital and yearly operating) divided by total energy service production (in miles travelled or energy generated).

Capital expenditure is turned into annual payments with a “capital recovery factor” (CRF) approach. Each calculation uses the same capital recovery factor:

CRF =	D * (1 + D)N
	((1 + D))N - 1)

D = discount rate N = lifetime of the investment

This factor relates to the annual payments required to recuperate a capital investment and is used in each of the individual calculations below. The resulting ‘levelized cost’ metric can be interpreted as the price energy (or miles, or fuel) would have to be ‘sold’ at to break even if the capital cost was financed at the discount rate D.

Vehicles – levelized cost of driving (LCOD) in $ / mile for all vehicles other than PHEV. This calculation is essentially the distributed upfront cost of the vehicle plus the per-mile fuel cost.

LCOD =	Capital Cost	* CRF +	Fuel Price x %G	+	Elec Price x %E
	VMT		MPGG		MPGE

For PHEVs, which run on a blend of electricity and liquid fuel.

MPGGE =	1
	%G	+	%E
	MPGG		MPGE

Where individual MPGG and MPGE are not available from the report for a PHEV (but only MPGGE), we assume the following form: MPGE = z*MPGG. This is required because otherwise we can’t estimate the consumption of individual fuels. Then,

LCOD =		* CRF +	PG + PE x	%E
	Capital Cost			z (1 - %E)
	VMT		MPGGE x ( 1 +	%E	)
				z (1 - %E)

We currently use z=3.5 (indicating that electric travel is 3.5 times as efficient on a delivered energy use basis. This is based on the values that are present in the database.

Definitions:

MPG = miles per gallon on road for the vehicle
Capital cost = cost of the vehicle new
VMT = annual miles travelled
MPGG = MPGGE when running on gas
%G = percent of drive time on gasoline
MPGE = MPGGE when running on electricity
%E = percent of drive time on electricity
Fuel price = cost of gasoline (or diesel, or CNG)
Elect price = cost of electricity (per gge) = cost / kWh *33.7

Fuels – levelized cost of fuel (LCOF) in $ / gallon of gasoline equivalent (gge). This calculation is the cost of a fuel production plant distributed over the lifetime of the plant plus the per-gallon production costs. This is an approximation for the price at which the fuel would need to be sold to be break even.

LCOF = (	Total Capital Cost	* CRF + O&M +	Delivered Feedstock Costs	- Coproduct) *	BTU/gallon gasoline
	Plant Scale * Capacity Factor		Total Fuel Yield		BTU/gallon fuel

Coproduct credit inclusion in the equation is optional (user controlled) but should be included by default. Tax credit of $0.45 / gallon of ethanol expired in 2011 and is NOT included. Energy correction ratio only applies for ethanol. Delivered feedstock costs use a standard assumption, not the value from each report.

For fuels, user inputs will be: discount rate, feedstock cost, include coproducts?, include tax credit?

Definitions:

Capital cost = cost of the plant in $ / gge
Capacity factor = online %
O&M = operations and maintenance cost of the plant in $ / gge
Delivered Feedstock Cost = feedstock cost of the plant in $ / gge

Generation – levelized cost of electricity in cents / kWh. This is an approximation for the price at which electricity would need to be sold to break even.

LCOE =	Capital Cost * CRF * (1 - τ * DPV)	+	fixed O&M	+ variable O&M + Fuel Price * Heat Rate
	8760 * Capacity Factor * (1 - τ)		8760 * Capacity Factor

Where DPV is the present value of depreciation, depending on the MACRS schedule. Values used:

Renewables excluding hydropower: 0.83155
Combustion Turbine and Nuclear: 0.59476
Combined Cycle, Coal, and hydropower: 0.54407

Definitions:

Capital cost = cost of the plant in $ / kW
Fixed O&M = operations and maintenance cost of the plant per capacity in $ / kW
Variable O&M = operations and maintenance cost of the plant per unit generated in $ / kWh
Fuel Price = fuel cost of the plant in $ / BTU
Heat Rate = energy content of fuel used per kWh generated
Capacity Factor = yearly average percentage of power as a fraction of capacity
τ = tax rate (assumed to be 39.2%)

...hide more...

Levelized costs and fuel price assumptions

Category

Assumption

Default

Note

All

Discount Rate

0.07

The assumed effective rate at which future income streams are discounted. Used to compute the capital recovery factor.

Generation

Tax rate

0.392

Tax rate paid (applied after depreciation credits)

Generation

Plant lifetime

The assumed lifetime of a new plant and the period over which the investment is computed (unless specified otherwise)

Generation

LCOE - Fuel Costs

Fuel	Price ($/mmBTU)
Bio Gas	4.67
Biomass	2
Coal	2.11
Natural Gas	4.67
Oil-Gas-Steam	4.67
Uranium	0.5

Fuel costs used in LCOE calculations.

Vehicles

VMT

10000

The annual miles traveled assumed for each vehicle

Vehicles

Vehicle Life

The years the vehicle is assumed to last and the period over which the investment is computed

Vehicles

Gasoline Price

$3.68

The retail price of a gallon of gasoline

Vehicles

Diesel Price

$3.54

The retail price of a gallon of diesel

Vehicles

Electricity Price

$3.866

The retail price of a gallon of gasoline equivalent

Vehicles

Natural Gas Price

$2.07

The retail price of a gallon of gasoline equivalent

Vehicles

Propane Price

$4.26

The retail price of a gallon of gasoline equivalent

Vehicles

Hydrogen Price

$3.90

The retail price of a gallon of gasoline equivalent

Fuels

Include coproduct credit

Yes

Are credits given for plant coproducts such as electricity generated and sold?

Fuels

Include tax credit

Are credits given for the current federal biofuels tax credit

Read the disclaimer regarding levelized costs.

Modes

Historical: shows past estimates of costs. Displays estimates from reports within the filters that make estimates for the past or for the current year.

Projections: shows estimates of future costs and technology characteristics. A single technology must be selected for clarity of data (showing all data would make graphs unreadable).

(Planned) Retrospective: Will compare the projections of older historical sources to allow the user to compare with current cost estimates (similar to ‘projections’ mode but for past and current years).

Graphical methods

Box and whisker: This method shows a data distribution without making any assumption about the underlying relationship between the data (unlike, for example, a mean and standard deviation which assumes an underlying Gaussian). It shows the data distribution using five numbers: The minimum, lowest 25%, median, highest 25%, and maximum point. Where fewer than three points are available for a column, individual data points are shown and not a box and whisker chart.

Scatter: This method simply shows all data points. Mouse over or click a point of interest for more information.

Program Estimates: The numbers used by the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in program planning. For more information, see how does DOE make these estimates and more information.

Filters

The database visualization interface allows a user to filter the database to focus on data of interest.

Implemented Filters

Year Published filters based on the year the document was published. By default, all reports are used (2007 - 2015).

Estimate Year filters values for the year they pertain to. For example, our example report is published in 2012 and has data values for years 2010, 2015, 2020, etc. By limiting the Estimate Year to a range of 2008 to 2018, only values for 2010 and 2015 will be displayed. Then if you also limit the Year Published to 2008 to 2011, then none the values from this example report will be displayed. By default, all data is display (2000 – 2054).

Planned Filters

Filter by type of report (model input, market report, engineering estimate)
Filter by generation of plant (fuels) (first of kind or nth plant)

User submissions

Currently, user submission of a report or comment is via

Publically available reports submitted will be reviewed for relevant data and added to the database within 4-8 weeks, depending on quantity of relevant material in the source.

Comments will be responded to as quickly and completely as possible by the project team.

Sources

Type	Report Title	Authors	Year	Link or identifier
Fuels	A techno-economic comparison of power production by biomass fast pyrolysis with gasification and combustion	Bridgewater	2002	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1364-0321(01)00010-7
Fuels	Affordable, Low-Carbon Diesel Fuel from Domestic Coal and Biomass	Tarka, et al	2009	http://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analyses/pubs/CBTL%20Final%20Report.pdf
Fuels	An economic and environmental comparison of a biochemical and a thermochemical lignocellulosic ethanol conversion processes	Foust, et.al.	2009	DOI 10.1007/s10570-009-9317-x
Fuels	An economic comparison of different fermentation configurations to convert corn stover to ethanol using Z. mobilis and Saccharomyces	Dutta, et al	2010	DOI 10.1002/btpr.311
Fuels	Analysis of the Effects of Compositional and Configurational Assumptions on Product Costs for the Thermochemical Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Mixed Alcohols – FY 2007 rogress Report	Zhu, et al	2008	http://www.pnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-17949.pdf
Fuels	Biochemical Production of Ethanol from Corn Stover: 2007 State of Technology Model	Aden	2008	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy08osti/43205.pdf
Fuels	Biochemical Production of Ethanol from Corn Stover: 2008 State of Technology Model	Humbird, et.al.	2009	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/46214.pdf
Fuels	Comparative analysis of efficiency, environmental impact, and process economics for mature biomass refining scenarios	Laser, et al	2009	DOI: 10.1002/bbb.136
Fuels	Economics of Current and Future Biofuels	Tao and Aden	2009	DOI: 10.1007/s11627-009-9216-8
Fuels	Exploration of the possibilities for production of Fischer Tropsch liquids and power via biomass gasification	Tijemensen	2002	PII: S 0961-9534(02)00037-5
Fuels	Gasoline from Wood via Integrated Gasification, Synthesis, and Methanol-to- Gasoline Technologies	Phillips, et al	2011	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy11osti/47594.pdf
Fuels	Large-Scale Pyrolysis Oil NREL/TP-510-37779 Production: A Technology November 2006 Assessment and Economic Analysis	Ringer, et al	2007	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy07osti/37779.pdf
Fuels	Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol Process Design and Economics Utilizing Co-Current Dilute Acid Prehydrolysis and Enzymatic Hydrolysis Current and Futuristic Scenarios	Wooley, et al	1999	www.nrel.gov/docs/fy99osti/26157.pdf
Fuels	Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to Liquid Fuels Synthesis, Volume 1: Availability of Feedstock and Technology	Valkenburg, et al	2009	http://www.pnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-18144.pdf
Fuels	Outlook for advanced biofuels	Hamelinck	2005	doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2005.06.012
Fuels	Outlook for advanced biofuels	Aden, et al	2002	www.nrel.gov/docs/fy02osti/32438.pdf
Fuels	Outlook for advanced biofuels	Hamelinck	2005	doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2005.06.012
Fuels	Process Design and Economics for Biochemical Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol	Humbird, et al	2011	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy11osti/47764.pdf
Fuels	Process Design and Economics for Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol	Dutta, et al	2011	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy11osti/51400.pdf
Fuels	Techno-economic Analysis for the Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Gasoline via the Methanol-to-Gasoline (MTG) Process	Jones and Zhu	2009	http://www.pnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-18481.pdf
Fuels	Techno-economic analysis of autotrophic microalgae for fuel production	Davis, et al	2011	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2011.04.018
Fuels	Techno-economic analysis of biomass fast pyrolysis to transportation fuels	Wright, et al	2010	doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2010.07.029
Fuels	Techno-economic analysis of biomass-to-liquids production based on gasification	Swanson, et al	2010	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2010.07.027
Fuels	Techno-economic comparison of process technologies for biochemical ethanol production from corn stover	Kazi, et al	2010	doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2010.01.001
Fuels	Techno-economic comparison of process technologies for biochemical ethanol production from corn stover	Jones and Zhu	2009	http://www.pnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-18401.pdf
Fuels	Technoeconomic analysis of biofuels: A wiki-based platform for lignocellulosic biorefineries	Klein-Marcuschamer et al	2010	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2010.07.033
Fuels	Thermochemical Ethanol via Indirect Gasification and Mixed Alcohol Synthesis of Lignocellulosic Biomass	Phillips, et al	2007	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy07osti/41168.pdf
Fuels	Transportation Fuels from Coal and Biomass	National Academies	2009	ISBN 0-309-13712-8

Vehicles	A portfolio of power-trains for Europe: a fact-based analysis: The role of Battery Electric Vehicles, Plug-in Hybrids and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles	McKinsey	2010	http://ec.europa.eu/research/fch/pdf/a_portfolio_of_power_trains_for_europe_a_fact_based__analysis.pdf
Vehicles	Annual Energy Outlook - Reference Case 2011	EIA	2010	File provided by EIA, AEO ref2011.1208c Maples
Vehicles	Comparative analysis of battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid vehicles in a future sustainable road transport system	Offer et al	2010	http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421509006260
Vehicles	DOE 2010 Lifecycle Cost RFI (based on Program Goals)	DOE	2011	Data provided by EERE link the program estimates to the latest program planning documents.
Vehicles	Electric Powertrains: Opportunities and Challenges in the U.S. Light-Duty Vehicle Fleet, MIT Report	Kromer and Heywood	2007	http://web.mit.edu/sloan-auto-lab/research/beforeh2/files/kromer_electric_powertrains.pdf
Vehicles	Game Changers - EIA Energy Conference, April 2011	Moniz	2011	http://205.254.135.7/conference/2011/pdf/presentations/Moniz.pdf
Vehicles	GPRA FY10	Rousseau	2009	File provided by OnLocation Inc
Vehicles	Multi-Path Transportation Futures Study: Vehicle Characterization and Scenario Analyses, Argonne National Laboratory	Plotkin and Singh	2009	http://www.transportation.anl.gov/pdfs/TA/613.PDF
Vehicles	On the Road in 2035: Reducing Transportation’s Petroleum Consumption and GHC Emissions, MIT Report	Bandivadekar et al	2008	http://web.mit.edu/sloan-auto-lab/research/beforeh2/otr2035/
Vehicles	PHEV Market Introduction Study: Final Report, Oak Ridge and Sentech	Cleary et al	2010	http://info.ornl.gov/sites/publications/files/Pub14078.pdf
Vehicles	Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Study: Final Report, Oak Ridge and Sentech	Cleary et al	2010	http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/pdfs/phev_study_final_report.pdf
Vehicles	Transitions to Alternative Transportation Technologies - A Focus on Hydrogen, National Academies Press	National Research Council	2008	http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12222&page=R1
Vehicles	Transitions to Alternative Transportation Technologies - Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, National Academies Press	National Research Council	2010	http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12826

Generation	"Coal-fired Power Plant Construction Costs." Synapse Energy Economics, Inc. Cambridge, MA. July 2008	Schlissel et al. 2008	2008	http://www.synapse-energy.com/Downloads/SynapsePaper.2008-07.0.Coal-Plant-Construction-Costs.A0021.pdf
Generation	"EPRI-Technical Assessment Guide, Electricity supply-1993," EPRI TR-10226-V1R7m EPRI, Palo Alto, CA	EPRI 1993	1993
Generation	"Juice from Concentrate - Reducing Emissions with Concentrating Solar Thermal Power." World Resources Institute in conjunction with Goldman Sachs. 2009	Staley et al. 2009	2009	http://pdf.wri.org/juice_from_concentrate.pdf
Generation	"Renewable Energy Technical Assessment Guide-TAG-RE:2007," EPRI, Palo Alto, CA	McGowin 2007	2007
Generation	"Renewable Energy Technology Characterizations," EPRI-TR109496, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA	DeMeo and Galdo 1997	1997	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/gen/fy98/24496.pdf
Generation	"Solar Vision Study. Concentrating solar power parabolic trough, towers, and dish. Labor, equipment & Material projections. Capital Cost Projects. 10% and 20% Deployment Cases. Preliminary - For Comment." Nov 3, 2009.	Sargent & Lundy 2009	2009	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/34440.pdf
Generation	"The Cost of New Generating Capacity in Perspective." White Paper. Aug 2008.	Nuclear Energy Institute 2008	2008	http://www.nei.org/filefolder/WHITE_PAPER_-_Cost_of_New_Generating_Capacity_in_Perspective.pdf
Generation	"The Economics of Future Nuclear Power: An update of The Economic Future of Nuclear Power (2004)." Department of Economics. Stanford University. Feb 22, 2011.	Rothwell 2011	2011	http://harrisschool.uchicago.edu/centers/hepi/Rothwell_ANL_EconNuclear_20110223.pdf
Generation	"The Economics of Nuclear Power." Updated Mar 9, 2011.	World Nuclear Assoc 2011	2011	http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf02.html
Generation	2007-08 Gas Turbine World Handbook (2007). Pequot Publishing Inc., Volume 26.	GTW 2007	2007	http://www.gtwbooks.com/GTW-Archive.html
Generation	2009 Wind Technologies Market Report, U.S. Department of Energy.	Wiser and Bolinger 2010	2010	http://eetd.lbl.gov/EA/EMP/reports/lbnl-3716e.pdf
Generation	2010 Cost of Wind Energy Review	Tegan et al	2012	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/52920.pdf
Generation	Annual Energy Outlook 2009	AEO 2009	2009	http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/archive/aeo09/pdf/0383(2009).pdf
Generation	Annual Energy Outlook 2010	AEO 2010	2010	http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/archive/aeo10/index.html
Generation	Annual Energy Outlook 2011	AEO 2011	2011	http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/pdf/0383(2011).pdf
Generation	COST AND PERFORMANCE DATA FOR POWER GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES	Black and Veatch	2012	http://bv.com/docs/reports-studies/nrel-cost-report.pdf
Generation	California Ocean Wave Energy Assessment. California Energy Commission. PIER Renewable Energy Technologies Program Area. CEC-500-2006-119. 2006.	Previsic, Mirko 2006	2006	http://www.energy.ca.gov/2006publications/CEC-500-2006-119/CEC-500-2006-119-D.PDF
Generation	Capital Cost Recommendations for 2009 TEPPC Study.	E3 2010	2010	http://www.wecc.biz/committees/BOD/TEPPC/Versions/100106_TEPPC_E3_CapitalCosts.ppt_2.0.ppt
Generation	Cost and Performance Baseline for Fossil Energy Plants Volume 3a: Low Rank Coal to Electricity: IGCC Cases	Black 2010b	2010	http://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analyses/pubs/LR_IGCC_FR_20110511.pdf
Generation	Cost and Performance Baseline for Fossil Energy Plants. Vol 1: Bituminous Coal and Natural Gas to Electricity	Black 2010a	2010	http://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analyses/pubs/BitBase_FinRep_Rev2.pdf
Generation	Cost and Performance Baseline for Fossil Energy Plants. Vol 3b: Low Rank Coal to Electricity: Combustion Cases	Black 2010c	2010	http://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analyses/pubs/LR_PCCFBC_FR_20110325.pdf
Generation	Cost and Performance Baseline for Fossil Energy Plants. Vol 3c: Natural Gas Combined Cycle at Elevation	Black 2010d	2010	http://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analyses/pubs/LR_NGCC_FR_20110325.pdf
Generation	DOE Program Estimate	DOE	2011	Data provided by EERE link the program estimates to the latest program planning documents.
Generation	Environmental Protection Agency (2009). Data from Integrated Power Model (IPM), ICF International.	EPA 2009	2009	http://www.epa.gov/airmarkt/progsregs/epa-ipm/docs/basecase2009.pdf
Generation	Environmental Protection Agency (2010). Data from Integrated Power Model (IPM), ICF International.	EPA 2010	2010	http://www.epa.gov/airmarkt/progsregs/epa-ipm/BaseCasev410.html
Generation	Escalating Estimates of the Cost of Nuclear Power Plants	Analysis Group 2011	2011	http://www.iaumc.org/console/files/oFiles_Library_XZXLCZ/2011NuclearPower-EstimatingCosts_QFZL5NXD.pdf
Generation	European Solar Thermal Electricity Association. "Concentrating Solar Power Global Outlook 09. Why Renewable Energy is Hot."	ESTELA 2009	2009	http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2009/5/concentrating-solar-power-2009.pdf
Generation	Government Performance and Results Act (2009). Data from Market Allocation (MARKAL) model, International Energy Agency and Brookhaven National Laboratory	GPRA 2009	2009
Generation	IPCC Annex 3	IPCC	2011	http://srren.ipcc-wg3.de/report/
Generation	International Energy Agency. World Energy Outlook 2008 Edition.	WEO 2008	2008	http://www.iea.org/textbase/nppdf/free/2008/weo2008.pdf
Generation	Large-Scale Offshore Wind Power in the United States, Assessment of Opportunities and Barriers, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL/TP-500-40745.	Musial and Ram 2010	2010	http://www.nrel.gov/wind/pdfs/40745.pdf
Generation	Lazard Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis, version 4.0	Lazard 2010	2010	http://www.dpuc.state.ct.us/DEEPEnergy.nsf/c6c6d525f7cdd1168525797d0047c5bf/8525797c00471adb852579ea00731d74/$FILE/Ex%2013%20-%20Lazard%202010%20Levelized%20Cost%20of%20Energy%20-%20v%204.0.pdf
Generation	Mini Climate Assessment Model (2008). Data from MiniCAM model, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.	MiniCAM 2008	2008
Generation	National Renewable Energy Laboratory - Strategic Energy Analysis Center (2008). Data from Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model, National Renewable Energy Laboratory.	Logan et al 2008	2008	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45161.pdf
Generation	Nuclear Power Plant Construction Costs	Schlissel and Biewald 2008	2008	http://www.synapse-energy.com/Downloads/SynapsePaper.2008-07.0.Nuclear-Plant-Construction-Costs.A0022.pdf
Generation	Nuclear Power's Role in Generating Electricity	CBO 2008	2008	http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/91xx/doc9133/05-02-nuclear.pdf
Generation	Power Plants: Characteristics and Costs. CRS Report for Congress. Congressional Research Service. Nov 13, 2008.	Kaplan 2008	2008	http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34746.pdf
Generation	Program on Technology Innovation: Integrated Generation Technology Options. Report No. 1022782.	EPRI 2008	2008	http://integrating-renewables.org/wp-content/uploads/LINK-E-CCUG-000000000001022782.pdf
Generation	Renewable Electricity Futures	Mai et al 2012	2012	http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/52409-1.pdf
Generation	Small & Mid-size Nuclear Reactor Financing and Economics. The Nuclear Option: Is Small Scale Nuclear Energy an Option for Alaska?	Welling 2010	2010	http://www.uaf.edu/files/acep/Craig-Welling---SMR-Financing-Alaska-December1010-v2.pdf
Generation	Sunshot Solar Vision	Solar Energy Technologies Program	2012	http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/47927.pdf
Generation	The Cost of New Generating Capacity in Perspective. White Paper. Aug 2008.	Nuclear Energy Institute 2008	2008	http://www.nei.org/filefolder/WHITE_PAPER_-_Cost_of_New_Generating_Capacity_in_Perspective.pdf
Generation	The Economics of Wind, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 13, 99 1372-1382	Blanco 2009	2009	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2008.09.004
Generation	Thresher, Robert. Internal Memo. National Renewable Laboratory. 2010.	Thresher 2010	2010
Generation	Tracking the Sun III. The Installed Cost of Photovoltaics in the US from 1998-2009.	Barbose et al. 2010	2010	http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/reports/lbnl-4121e.pdf
Generation	US DOE Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE). Solar Energy Technologies Program. Accessed August 2011.	DOE SETP 2011	2011	http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/about.html
Generation	US DOE NREL. Table 4. Concentrating Solar Power. Appendix D - GPRA07 Solar Energy Technologies Program Documentation from "Projected Benefits of Federal Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs. FY 2007 Budget Request." pp. D-6.	GPRA 2007	2007	http://www1.eere.energy.gov/ba/pba/pdfs/39684_app_D.pdf
Generation	Update on the Cost of Nuclear Power	Du, Parsons 2009	2009	http://web.mit.edu/mitei/docs/spotlights/nuclear-fuel-cycle-du.pdf
Generation	Ventyx. Velocity Suite. Data extracted from New Entrants Analysis. May 2011.	Ventyx	2011	http://www.ventyx.com/en/enterprise/work-asset-operations/work-asset-products/asset-suite
Generation	Wind Energy, Chapter 7, an IPPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation.	Wiser et al. 2011	2011	http://srren.ipcc-wg3.de/report/srren-figures-chapter-07

Methods

How does DOE make these estimates?

How is the other data collected?

Variables for display are extracted as published from public reports cited. Additional data not directly displayed but relevant to the estimates are collected and stored in the database for reference. Examples of these are plant scale, resource quality, dollar year used, etc.

The reports included here are not comprehensive. They were selected on the basis of analyst’s experience with the literature and include many of the external estimates more frequently used.

Additional Assumptions

General

Where the dollar year was not available in the publication, we assumed the year previous to the year of publication was the year used.

For levelized cost and financial assumptions see [levelized costs].

Vehicles

For plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, SAE 2841 Fleet Utility Curves were used to estimate the percentage of miles a vehicle would travel on electricity. This number was used to calculate the effective average miles per gallon according to the levelized cost of driving calculation.

Fuels

To convert gallons of ethanol to gallons of gasoline equivalent, an energy content ratio of 0.667 gallons of gasoline equivalent per gallon of ethanol.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) applied energy R&D, including the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) covers a wide variety of applications, so methodology necessarily varies by sector and technology specifics. EERE seeks to use a consistent framework and approach within sectors to allow use of these metrics (among others) in prioritization amongst technology development options. The numbers collected here represent the aggregate summary of a detailed component analysis performed by each technology program.

For many programs, these estimates and goals are the result of a detailed and ongoing roadmapping process. The goals around roadmapping are simple – to guide where and where not to make program investments and to define success metrics for a given technology program. Since new energy technologies must first compete against incumbents based on price to achieve large scale market penetration, EERE product roadmaps need to be defined around reducing costs. For many technologies within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the roadmapping process culminates in the development of detailed engineering-based estimates of cost reduction steps to meet overall cost goals.

For technology specific methods, see the program materials in the more information section.

We welcome user submissions of reports for inclusion in this database.

Exernalities

Externalities such as pollution, water use, and health impacts are not currently included in the cost estimates. This is an active field of research. For some links see: more information.

More information

I am looking for…

Cost of energy information

The method of levelizing energy costs is based primarily on:
Short, W., Packey, D.J., and Holt, T. “A Manual for the Economic Evaluation of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Technologies” (1995)
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/legosti/old/5173.pdf

for a simple LCOE calculator:
http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/tech_lcoe.html

Site- or project-specific information

NREL has developed the following cost of energy tools:

System Advisor Model (SAM):

https://sam.nrel.gov/
SAM makes performance predictions and cost of energy estimates for grid-connected power projects based on installation and operating costs and system design parameters that you specify as inputs to the model. The target audience is Project managers, engineers, incentive program designers, technology developers, and researchers

Cost of Renewable Energy Spreadsheet Tool (CREST): https://financere.nrel.gov/finance/content/crest-cost-energy-models

The Cost of Renewable Energy Spreadsheet Tool (CREST) is an economic cash flow model designed to enable PUCs and the renewable energy community assess projects, design cost-based incentives (e.g., feed-in tariffs), and evaluate the impact of tax incentives or other support structures. CREST is a suite of three analytic tools, for solar (photovoltaic and solar thermal), wind, and geothermal technologies, respectively. The target audience is state and local stakeholders involved in policy and rate analysis.

PV WATTS

http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/calculators/PVWATTS/version1/

NREL's PVWatts calculator determines the energy production and cost savings of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems throughout the world. It allows homeowners, installers, manufacturers, and researchers to easily develop estimates of the performance of hypothetical PV installations.

Job and economic impacts of renewable projects:

http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/jedi/
The Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) models are user-friendly tools that estimate the economic impacts of constructing and operating power generation and biofuel plants at the local and state levels. First developed by NREL's Wind Powering America program to model wind energy impacts, JEDI has been expanded to analyze concentrating solar power, photovoltaics, marine and hydrokinetic power, biofuels, coal and natural gas power plants.

Renewable project finance:

https://financere.nrel.gov/finance/

Geographic and resource information

Renewable energy atlas: http://maps.nrel.gov/re_atlas
Maps by technology: http://www.nrel.gov/gis/maps.html
Searchable Maps: http://www.nrel.gov/gis/mapsearch/

Other energy analysis information

NREL’s Analysis page: http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/
The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy analysis page: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/analysis/

Technology details

Generation

Solar

DOE page: http://www.eere.energy.gov/topics/solar.html
Resource map: http://www.nrel.gov/gis/solar.html
Breakeven costs: http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/46909.pdf

Wind and Water:

DOE page: http://www.eere.energy.gov/topics/wind.html
Resource map: http://www.nrel.gov/gis/wind.html

Geothermal

Geothermal program page: http://www.eere.energy.gov/topics/geothermal.html
Resource map: http://www.nrel.gov/gis/geothermal.html

Distributed Generation

Capital Costs: www.nrel.gov/analysis/tech_cost_dg.html
Operations and Mainteance Costs: www.nrel.gov/analysis/tech_cost_om_dg.html

Vehicles

Electric vehicles

DOE page: http://www.eere.energy.gov/topics/vehicles.html

Fuel cells

DOE page: http://www.eere.energy.gov/topics/hydrogen_fuel_cells.html

Advanced conventional vehicles

DOE page: http://www.eere.energy.gov/topics/vehicles.html

For up-to-date information on advanced vehicle sales, see: http://www.transportation.anl.gov/technology_analysis/edrive_vehicle_monthly_sales.html

Fuels

DOE page: http://www.eere.energy.gov/topics/biomass.html
Resource map: http://www.nrel.gov/gis/biomass.html

Models and tools for all of the above:

http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/models_tools.html

Vehicle simulation for DOE estimates was performed by Argonne National Lab using the Autonomie tool:
http://www.autonomie.net (general tool)
http://www.autonomie.net/publications/fuel_economy_report.html (latest report with fuel consumption and cost values)

For a summary of some estimates of the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions, see:

The International Panel on Climate Change’s Assessment report at IPPC
And a review by Richard Tol at Annual Reviews

For a summary of the health impacts of energy, see:

Hidden Costs of Energy by the National Academies: click here

For a summary of the water use impacts of energy, see:

NREL Review of Operational Water Consumption and Withdrawal Factors for Electricity Generating Technologies: click here

Recommended Citation for the TCDB

"Transparent Cost Database." (YEAR). Open Energy Information (en). Accessed MONTH DAY, YEAR: http://en.openei.org/wiki/Transparent_Cost_Database.”

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Methods

Disclaimer

About the Cost Database

Database fields - generation

Database fields - fuels

Database fields - vehicles

Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) Forumulas

Levelized costs and fuel price assumptions

Modes

Graphical methods

Filters

Implemented Filters

Planned Filters

User submissions

Sources

Methods

How does DOE make these estimates?

How is the other data collected?

Additional Assumptions

General

Vehicles

Fuels

Exernalities

More information

Cost of energy information

Site- or project-specific information

Job and economic impacts of renewable projects:

Renewable project finance:

Geographic and resource information

Other energy analysis information

Technology details

Models and tools for all of the above:

DOE program planning details:

Technology cost information for other technologies:

Carbon intensity of technologies:

For a summary of some estimates of the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions, see:

For a summary of the health impacts of energy, see:

For a summary of the water use impacts of energy, see:

Recommended Citation for the TCDB