energy_mass_balancecostinghydrogen
Techno-economic screening of a PEM fuel cell cogeneration system: electricity, recovered heat, H2 consumption and electricity-only LCOE from a hydrogen feed.
Nameplate net electrical output of the fuel cell system.
min 0.3 · max 1000 · step 0.1 · kW
Average annual utilization relative to rated power.
min 5 · max 100 · step 1 · %
System electrical efficiency at rated load, LHV basis. Default 0.42 reflects deployed PEMFC micro-CHP (DOE 42-47%, ENE-FARM ~38%); raise toward 0.5-0.6 for best-in-class/target systems.
min 0.3 · max 0.62 · step 0.01 · fraction
Recoverable heat fraction of H2 LHV energy.
min 0.2 · max 0.55 · step 0.01 · fraction
All-in delivered hydrogen cost used for the fuel term.
min 0 · max 30 · step 0.5 · EUR/kg
Used to compute the capital recovery factor (CRF).
min 0 · max 0.2 · step 0.005 · ratio
Economic lifetime for CAPEX annualization.
min 1 · max 40 · step 1 · years
Annual fixed O&M as a fraction of total CAPEX.
min 0 · max 0.3 · step 0.005 · fraction
Installed system specific CAPEX at the reference size.
min 500 · max 20000 · step 100 · EUR/kW
Electrical efficiency (LHV)
Total CHP efficiency (LHV)
Annual electricity output
Annual recovered heat
Annual hydrogen consumption
Total system CAPEX
Annualized CAPEX
Total annual cost
Levelized cost of electricity (electricity-only)
Calculator context
Screening calculator for a PEM fuel cell combined heat and power (CHP) unit fed with hydrogen. Computes electrical and total CHP efficiency, annual electricity and recovered heat, annual hydrogen consumption, annualized CAPEX via the capital recovery factor, and the electricity-only levelized cost of electricity (LCOE, no heat credit). Grounded on FCH 2 JU / Clean Hydrogen Partnership micro-CHP KPIs, US DOE stationary CHP targets, and IEA hydrogen cost references. Fuel cost dominates the LCOE at realistic hydrogen prices.
10 assumptions used in the calculations
Structural unit constant for comparisons and CRF.
Structural zero constant for guards and floors.
Lower heating value of hydrogen used for energy balance.
Market range 33.3 kWh/kg (LHV); 39.4 kWh/kg (HHV).
Capacity factor above which a mild part-load/sustained-load efficiency penalty applies.
Slope of the efficiency penalty beyond the capacity-factor knee.
Lower bound on the efficiency penalty factor.
Reference system size at which the specific CAPEX is quoted.
Economy-of-scale exponent for specific CAPEX vs size (larger = cheaper per kW).
Market range Typical equipment scaling exponents -0.1 to -0.3.
Lower clamp on the CAPEX scaling multiplier.
Upper clamp on the CAPEX scaling multiplier.
Primary reference
FCH 2 JU / Clean Hydrogen Partnership MAWP KPIs; US DOE stationary CHP targets; IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2024
