energy_mass_balancecostinghydrogen
Screening electricity output, hydrogen consumption and electricity-only LCOE for a gas turbine firing pure or blended hydrogen.
Delivered cost of renewable hydrogen. EPG 2050 scenarios: 0.9 optimistic, 2.8 average, 4.7 pessimistic EUR/kg.
Real discount rate used to annualize CAPEX via the capital recovery factor. EPG uses 7% (IEA 2020).
Economic lifetime for levelized-cost calculation. EPG/Gas Turbine World 2021: 40 years.
Annualized CAPEX (CRF-based)
Total project CAPEX converted to an annual payment equivalent
Fixed O&M cost
Annual fixed operations and maintenance
Total annual cost
Annualized CAPEX + decommissioning + O&M + fuel
Electricity-only LCOE
Total annual cost divided by annual electricity output
Fuel component of LCOE
Share of LCOE attributable to hydrogen (and any co-fired gas)
Capital component of LCOE
Share of LCOE from annualized CAPEX and decommissioning
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Combined cycle (Brayton + steam bottoming, ~60% LHV) vs open cycle (~40% LHV). Sets reference efficiency and CAPEX assumptions.
Net electrical output of the turbine block (MW). Reference utility plant = 1100 MW H-class CCGT.
Average annual utilization vs nameplate. H2-mode dispatchable CCGT ~65% (EPG); peaking OCGT 20-40%.
Net electrical efficiency on a lower-heating-value basis. State-of-the-art H-class CCGT ~0.60; OCGT ~0.40.
Annual electricity output
Net electrical energy delivered to the grid
Annual operating hours (at capacity factor)
Used to annualize electricity, fuel and costs
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Fraction of fuel energy supplied by hydrogen (1 = pure H2). The remainder is co-fired natural gas.
Specific hydrogen consumption
Hydrogen mass per MWh of electricity, from the turbine energy balance
Effective specific hydrogen consumption
Specific consumption after the part-load utilization penalty
Annual hydrogen consumption
Fuel demand, annualized — the procurement-relevant quantity
Hourly hydrogen consumption
Fuel mass flow while operating
Annual natural-gas consumption (blend complement)
Co-fired natural gas on its share of the fuel energy (0 for pure H2)
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Scaled specific CAPEX
All-in plant CAPEX intensity after the scale curve and clamps
Equipment purchase cost (turbine package)
Power-island supply cost only (screening)
Total project CAPEX (all-in)
Installed plant cost including indirects/owner costs (screening scope)
CAPEX breakdown: turbine island share
Gas turbine + generator allocation within equipment cost
CAPEX breakdown: HRSG + steam cycle share
Heat-recovery steam generator and steam turbine bottoming cycle
CAPEX breakdown: balance of plant + electrical share
Balance of plant, controls and grid connection
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Calculator context
Screening techno-economic model for a utility-scale gas turbine firing pure (100%) or blended hydrogen in a combined-cycle (Brayton + steam bottoming) configuration, the dominant dispatchable-power case. Combustion-based H2-to-power, thermodynamically distinct from the electrochemical PEM fuel-cell CHP: electricity comes from a Brayton/Rankine combined cycle, efficiency is set by turbine thermodynamics (~60% LHV for state-of-the-art H-class combined cycle), and the plant serves utility-scale grid balancing or baseload. Given net capacity, capacity factor, electrical efficiency and delivered hydrogen price, it returns annual electricity, annual hydrogen mass consumed and the electricity-only levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The reference plant is an H-class 1100 MW combined cycle (Gas Turbine World 2021 configuration used by EPG 2025); the LCOE formulation is validated against IEA (2020). Fuel dominates the LCOE, so results are highly sensitive to the hydrogen price.
35 assumptions used in the calculations
Prevents division-by-zero and NaN propagation.
Market range Not applicable (numerical).
Used in (1+factor) cascades and unit-share complements.
Market range Exact.
Converts nameplate MW to kW for specific-CAPEX and per-kW costs.
Market range Exact.
Converts MWh of electricity to kWh of fuel energy in the energy balance.
Market range Exact.
Converts hydrogen and natural-gas mass from kg to tonnes.
Market range Exact.
Converts the capacity-factor percentage input to a fraction.
Market range Exact.
Used for capacity-factor annualization.
Market range 8760 (non-leap); 8784 (leap).
Selects the CCGT branch.
Market range Not applicable.
Selects the OCGT branch.
Market range Not applicable.
Validation bound for tech_type.
Market range Not applicable.
Validation bound for tech_type.
Market range Not applicable.
Slope of the part-load specific-consumption penalty.
Market range 0 (neutral) to ~0.3 if cycling-heavy.
Floor of the load-penalty factor.
Market range 1.
Ceiling of the load-penalty factor.
Market range ~1.2-1.5 depending on cycling.
Lower heating value of hydrogen in the energy balance.
Market range 33.3 kWh/kg (120 MJ/kg).
Lower heating value of natural gas for the co-firing complement.
Market range ~47-52 MJ/kg (13.0-14.4 kWh/kg).
Reference specific consumption for the combined-cycle configuration.
Market range ~50 kgH2/MWh at 60% LHV.
Reference specific consumption for the open-cycle configuration.
Market range ~75 kgH2/MWh at 40% LHV.
Reference plant size for the CAPEX scale curve.
Market range Single utility CCGT block 1-1760 MW.
Anchor of the power-law CAPEX scale curve.
Market range Reference anchor.
Reference all-in specific CAPEX for the combined-cycle plant.
Market range ~950-1000 $/kW for H2-ready CC.
Reference all-in specific CAPEX for the open-cycle plant.
Market range ~400-700 $/kW for OCGT.
Floor of the scaled specific CAPEX.
Market range Order-of-magnitude floor.
Ceiling of the scaled specific CAPEX.
Market range Order-of-magnitude ceiling.
Power-law exponent for the CCGT CAPEX scale curve.
Market range ~0.6-0.9 typical.
Power-law exponent for the OCGT CAPEX scale curve.
Market range ~0.6-0.9 typical.
Installation uplift on equipment purchase cost.
Market range 0 here; 0.2-0.5 if equipment-only.
Indirect and owner-cost uplift on installed cost.
Market range 0 here; 0.1-0.3 if EPC-only.
Allocation of equipment cost to the gas turbine + generator.
Market range ~0.5-0.6.
Allocation of equipment cost to the HRSG and steam turbine.
Market range ~0.2-0.3.
Allocation of equipment cost to balance of plant and electrical systems.
Market range ~0.15-0.25.
Annual fixed O&M intensity.
Market range ~10-15 $/kW/yr for CCGT.
Variable O&M per MWh generated.
Market range ~1.5-2.5 $/MWh for CCGT.
End-of-life decommissioning cost intensity.
Market range ~5% of initial CAPEX.
Price applied to co-fired natural gas in blended operation.
Market range Highly volatile; ~0.1-0.6 EUR/kg.
Primary reference
Energy Policy Group (EPG), 'Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT): A Romanian Perspective', Jan 2025.
