Energy mass balanceCostingEquipment sizingStorage
Pumped hydro energy storage (PSH) plant
Pumped storage hydropower sized by rated power, duration and net head: reservoir volume and flow from E = rho g H V eta, sourced round-trip cases, PNNL cycle-time limit, PNNL CAPEX build-up with size and head scaling, O&M and a pre-tax real LCOS in constant EUR 2021.
- CurrencyEUR 2021
- Battery limitfully financed
- 77 documented assumptions
- Updated27 Oct 2026
Mass and energy balance
What the asset draws and delivers for the case and load you choose.
Reference case
Annual use requested by the dispatch, in full discharges of the stored energy. 365 is PNNL's cap and LCOS basis. The plant cannot exceed 8,760 h / (duration x (1 + 1/RTE)) (PNNL Eq. 2, rest time neglected): above about 10.7 h at 80 % the time limit binds.
Flows
- In: Electricity for pumping—
Asset
Pumped hydro energy storage (PSH)
- Out: Electricity discharged—
Annual quantities at the current usage. Band width: share of energy in; non-energy flows are not to scale.
Generating power of the reversible units, the size catalogue products bind to and the size the CAPEX scale law reads (PNNL -16 % per decade, reference 100 MW). PNNL costed 100 and 1,000 MW; Cohen et al. (NREL 2024) cover up to 2,100 MW. Below 100 MW no source covers the scale law: the result is flagged as an extrapolation.
- Stored energy
- — MWh
- Design flow at rated power
- — m3/s
- Active reservoir volume
- — Mm3
- Annual energy discharged
- — GWh/a
CAPEX
Specific cost at this size, what backs it, and how it behaves with scale.
Specific CAPEX at this size
—
Reference size 100 MW
PNNL-33283 Sec. 4.6.1, power-law form by OpenJack
Model value: PNNL cost build-up with its size and head rules. Customized: your own installed cost per kW (same boundary: electromechanical, powerhouse, waterways, reservoirs and contingency), applied as entered at every size, with no scale law. O&M stays on the PNNL model.
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- Ex-factory
- Installed
- Fully financed· this figure
Included
- Equipment and installation
- Indirect and owner's costs
- Contingency
Not included
- Nothing
Added at project level
- Nothing: project mode uses the figure as is
Project figures
Values passed to project mode when this asset is added to a project.
Pumped hydro energy storage (PSH)Concept sketch, not to scale · drag to rotate
- Electricity for pumping in
- —
- Electricity discharged outMain product
- —
- CAPEX to the battery limit
- —
- Fixed O&M
- —
- Variable O&M, excluding feedstocks
- —
- Asset lifetime
- 60 years
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Levelised cost of storage
A standalone indicator for a quick read. Project mode recomputes it for the whole system.
—
- Capital component of LCOS—
- Fixed O&M component of LCOS—
- Variable O&M component of LCOS—
- Charging component of LCOS—
Linked to the balance above
Annual use requested by the dispatch, in full discharges of the stored energy. 365 is PNNL's cap and LCOS basis. The plant cannot exceed 8,760 h / (duration x (1 + 1/RTE)) (PNNL Eq. 2, rest time neglected): above about 10.7 h at 80 % the time limit binds.
Hours at rated power from a full upper reservoir. Sets the stored energy (power x duration) and the reservoir cost. PNNL costed 4, 10, 24 and 100 h; ATB 8-12 h.
Mean net head between the reservoirs. Sets the water volume and flow for the stored energy and the head cost factor (475 m / head)^0.7. Covered by Cohen et al. sensitivities (152-762 m) and ATB (100-750 m). Kidston about 220 m, Gouvaes about 700 m.
Average price paid for pumping energy, constant EUR 2021. Default 25.37 = PNNL's US assumption of 0.03 USD/kWh: replace it with your market's off-peak price. In project mode the pumping electricity is the inlet and is priced by the project instead.
Average price obtained for the energy returned, used only for the arbitrage margin shown next to the LCOS. The default 100 is an illustrative value with no source: enter your market's peak price.
REAL rate, because every cost is in constant EUR 2021 with no escalation. Default 6.52 % = PNNL real WACC. Never enter a nominal rate here.
Period over which the CAPEX is annualised. 20 years is PNNL's economic life for every storage technology; 60 years is PNNL's calendar life for PSH, the upper end.
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Benchmarks
This model's figures against published references and reference cases.
CAPEX per kW, EUR/kW
1,884 NREL ATB 2024
2,224 PNNL-33283
3,824 NREL ATB 2024
Levelised cost of storage, EUR/MWh
93 PNNL-33283
Reference cases at this size and usage
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All results
Every model output at the current settings, grouped, with the sensitivity charts.
57 outputs · 8 groups · 14 also shown above, dimmed
Levelised cost
11- Capital share of LCOS
- Computing%
- Capital recovery factor
- Computing1/year
- Interest during construction factor
- Computingratio
- CAPEX with interest during construction
- ComputingEUR
- Annualised CAPEX
- ComputingEUR/year
- Total annual cost
- ComputingEUR/year
Size and CAPEX
14- CAPEX per kWh
- ComputingEUR/kWh
- Model CAPEX per kW (scale law)
- ComputingEUR/kW
- Model CAPEX per kW at 100 MW
- ComputingEUR/kW
- Electromechanical CAPEX
- ComputingEUR/kW
- Powerhouse civil CAPEX
- ComputingEUR/kW
- Reservoir CAPEX per kW
- ComputingEUR/kW
- Contingency included
- ComputingEUR/kW
- Power scale factor
- Computingratio
- Energy scale factor
- Computingratio
- Head cost factor
- Computingratio
- Position in the ATB closed-loop band
- Computing%
- Outside the sourced domain
- Computingflag
Reservoir and hydraulics
3Energy balance
7- Round-trip efficiency
- Computing%
- Implied pumping-side efficiency
- Computing%
- Charging energy per MWh discharged
- ComputingMWh/MWh
- Annual energy discharged
- ComputingMWh/year
- Annual pumping energy
- ComputingMWh/year
Duty cycle
6- Time-limited maximum cycles
- Computingcycles/year
- Effective cycles per year
- Computingcycles/year
- Cycles lost to the time limit
- Computing%
- Generating hours per year
- Computingh/year
- Pumping hours per year
- Computingh/year
- Generating capacity factor
- Computing%
O&M and charging
6- Labour O&M
- ComputingUSD/kW/year
- Fixed O&M per kW
- ComputingEUR/kW/year
- Variable O&M per MWh
- ComputingEUR/MWh
- Charging cost
- ComputingEUR/year
Arbitrage
3- Arbitrage spread
- ComputingEUR/MWh
- Arbitrage margin per year
- ComputingEUR/year
- Discharge price minus LCOS
- ComputingEUR/MWh
Reference checks
7- PNNL installed-cost check
- Computingratio
- O&M closure check at 100 MW
- Computingratio
- O&M closure check at 1,000 MW
- Computingratio
- Stored-energy check on Cohen's large plant
- Computingratio
- PNNL reference CRF
- Computing1/year
- PNNL charging price
- ComputingEUR/MWh
- PNNL LCOS at 1,000 MW / 10 h
- ComputingEUR/MWh
Sensitivities
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Sources
77 documented assumptions · 5 sources
- energy.govPNNL-33283, Viswanathan et al., 2022 Grid Energy Storage Technology Cost and Performance AssessmentPSH scale rules (Sec. 4.6.1), O&M (Table 4.29), RTE and life (Sec. 4.6.4), LCOS (Eq. 1), cycles (Sec. 6.1.3, Eq. 2), financial parameters (Tables 6.1-6.2)
- pnnl.govPNNL 2020, Mongird et al., PSH cost methodology (DOE/PA-0204)electromechanical, powerhouse civil and contingency lines (Tables 5 and 8)
- nrel.govCohen, Ramasamy, Inman, NREL/TP-6A40-84875 (rev. 2024), component-level bottom-up cost model for PSHstored energy vs volume and head, pump-turbine efficiency, head sensitivities, validity up to 2,100 MW
- atb.nrel.govNREL Annual Technology Baseline 2024, Pumped Storage HydropowerRTE range 70-87 %, closed-loop overnight cost classes, variable O&M, head ranges
- data-api.ecb.europa.euECB Data Portal, USD/EUR reference rate, annual average 2021 = 1.1827
About
Calculator context
About
Calculator context
Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) plant, closed or open loop, sized by its rated power (MW), its storage duration and its net head. It answers the question a financier asks first: what does a MWh returned to the grid cost, and where does each part of that figure come from.
Energy and water. Stored energy = rated power x duration. The active reservoir volume and the design flow follow from E = rho g H V eta with Cohen et al.'s 88 % generating efficiency (NREL/TP-6A40-84875, 2024); the relation reproduces Cohen's two printed plants without calibration (18,597 vs 18,593 MWh, and 909 vs 909 MWh). The round-trip efficiency is a sourced reference case, not a slider: PNNL 2022 central 80 %, or the ends of the ATB 2024 literature range, 70 % and 87 %. No source splits it into machine, waterway and transformer losses with its own figures, so the model does not pretend to derive it; it shows the pumping-side efficiency each case implies (98.9 % at 87 %, which flags that case as the top of the range). Cycles: the requested equivalent full cycles (at most 365, PNNL's basis) are capped by PNNL's cycle-time limit, 8,760 h / (duration x (1 + 1/RTE)), which binds above about 10.7 h at 80 %.
CAPEX. PNNL's PSH method (2020, kept in PNNL-33283, 2022), in 2021 dollars converted at the ECB 2021 average (1.1827 USD/EUR): electromechanical 467 USD/kW and powerhouse civil works 742 USD/kW, each falling 16 % per decade of power from 100 MW; reservoir 76 USD/kWh, falling 16 % per decade of MWh from 800 MWh; 33 % contingency on the direct cost. A head factor (475 m / head)^0.7 is applied to the direct cost: its exponent is deduced from Cohen et al.'s head sensitivities (Fig. 4-5), a one-parameter calibration declared at evidence level medium, because PNNL itself lists the head dependence as not yet quantified. Checks: at 100 MW / 10 h / 475 m the build-up gives 2,200 EUR/kW against PNNL's printed 263 USD/kWh = 2,224 EUR/kW (0.989, same source, so a reproduction check), and 1,015 USD/kW for electromechanical plus civil at 1,000 MW, PNNL's printed figure. The CAPEX can be replaced by a supplier quote (Customized), used as entered at every size.
O&M and LCOS. Fixed O&M from PNNL Table 4.29: labour 15.75 USD/kW-yr at 100 MW, doubling in total per decade of power (3.15 at 1,000 MW, as printed), parts 5.59 and refurbishment 6.85, which covers major overhauls, so no replacement is scheduled; PNNL's small storage-related term beyond 10 h is omitted. Variable O&M 0.58 USD/MWh (ATB 2024). LCOS = [CRF x CAPEX x IDC + fixed O&M] / MWh discharged + variable O&M + charging price / RTE, PNNL-33283 Eq. 1 with a real-rate CRF, pre-tax, all in constant EUR 2021. Interest during construction is approximated as (1 + r)^(5/2) over PNNL's five-year build. Defaults (1,000 MW, 10 h, 475 m, 80 %, 365 cycles, 25.37 EUR/MWh charging = PNNL's 0.03 USD/kWh, 6.52 % real, 20 years): 89.7 EUR/MWh, CAPEX 1,848 EUR/kW, 10,000 MWh stored, 3,650 GWh/a returned, 8.78 Mm3 of active storage. PNNL prints 0.11 USD/kWh = 93.0 EUR/MWh for the same size and duration after tax, 3.5 % above the model, not calibrated. Kidston-like plant (250 MW, 8 h, 220 m): 157.3 EUR/MWh, 3,267 EUR/kW, 730 GWh/a. Gouvaes-like plant (880 MW, 6 h, 700 m): 97.5 EUR/MWh, 1,218 EUR/kW. The CAPEX is placed on the NREL ATB 2024 closed-loop band, 1,884-3,824 EUR/kW in 2021 money.
Domain. Rated power 50-2,000 MW: PNNL costed 100 and 1,000 MW and Cohen's model is valid up to 2,100 MW, but no source covers 50-100 MW, so the scale law is an extrapolation there and the result carries an out-of-domain flag. Head 150-760 m (Cohen sensitivities 152-762 m, ATB 100-750 m). Duration 4-24 h (PNNL 4/10/24 h). The optional arbitrage margin (discharge price - charging price / RTE, times energy discharged) is shown next to the LCOS, never inside it. In project mode the pumping electricity is the inlet and is priced by the project; the exported CAPEX is the all-in overnight cost with contingency (fully_financed) and the asset life is PNNL's 60-year calendar life.
Model
138 variables — inputs, calculations and outputs, with their dependencies.
Model
138 variables — inputs, calculations and outputs, with their dependencies.
| Variable | Value | Unit | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | MW | — | |
| 10 | h | — | |
| 475 | m | — | |
| 365 | cycles/year | — | |
| 1 | — | — | |
| 0 | — | — | |
| 2000 | EUR/kW | — | |
| 25.37 | EUR/MWh | — | |
| 100 | EUR/MWh | — | |
| 6.52 | % | — | |
| 20 | years | — |
| Variable | Formula | Unit | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|
if((<=0)+(>)+(<=0)+(<=0)+(<=0)+(>)+(<)+(>)+(<0)+(>)+(<=0)+(<0)+(<0)+(<0)+(>)+(<=0)+(>)>0,1,0) | bool | ||
* | ratio | ||
* | ratio | ||
+* | ratio | ||
* | ratio |
| Variable | Formula | Unit | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|
if(==,,if(==,,)) | % | ||
/max(,)* | % | ||
/max(,) | MWh/MWh | ||
* | MWh | ||
*/max(***,)* | Mm3 | ||
*/max(***,) | m3/s | ||
/max(*(+),) | cycles/year | ||
min(,) | cycles/year | ||
(-/max(,))* | % | ||
* | h/year | ||
* | h/year | ||
/* | % | ||
* | MWh/year | ||
* | GWh/a | ||
* | MWh/year | ||
- | MWh/year | ||
(/max(,))^ | ratio | ||
(/)^(ln(-*)/ln()) | ratio | ||
(/)^(ln(-*)/ln()) | ratio | ||
***/ | EUR/kW | ||
***/ | EUR/kW | ||
****/ | EUR/kW | ||
(++**((*)/)^(ln(-*)/ln()))**/ | EUR/kW | ||
clamp(*(/)^(-),,) | EUR/kW | ||
if(>=,,) | EUR/kW | ||
*(-)/ | EUR/kW | ||
/max(,) | EUR/kWh | ||
** | EUR | ||
if(<,/,(*(+)^)/max((+)^-,)) | 1/year | ||
(+)^(*) | ratio | ||
* | EUR | ||
* | EUR/year | ||
*(/)^(ln()/ln()-) | USD/kW/year | ||
(++)/ | EUR/kW/year | ||
** | EUR/year | ||
/ | EUR/MWh | ||
* | EUR/year | ||
* | EUR/year | ||
+++ | EUR/year | ||
/max(,) | EUR/MWh | ||
/max(,) | EUR/MWh | ||
| EUR/MWh | ||
* | EUR/MWh | ||
+++ | EUR/MWh | ||
/max(,)* | % | ||
-* | EUR/MWh | ||
* | EUR/year | ||
- | EUR/MWh | ||
if((<)+(>)+(<)+(>)+(<)+(>)>0,1,0) | flag | ||
(-/)/max((-)/,)* | % | ||
/ | EUR/MWh | ||
(**(+*)^)/max((+*)^-,) | 1/year | ||
(++**((*)/)^(ln(-*)/ln()))*(+*)/(*) | ratio | ||
(*(/)^(ln()/ln()-)++)/ | ratio | ||
(++)/ | ratio | ||
******// | ratio | ||
*/ | EUR/MWh |
Assumptions
77 assumptions used in the calculations
Assumptions
77 assumptions used in the calculations
Protects divisions.
Market range Not applicable.
0OpenJack DSL conventionUnit term in the CRF, the contingency multiplier, the cycle-time limit and the guards.
Market range Exact, no range.
1Unit conversionBase of the decimal logarithm: PNNL states its size rules per decade (per 10x), so the exponent is ln(1 - drop)/ln(10).
Market range Exact, no range.
10Unit conversionTurns a percent (0-100) into a fraction.
Market range Exact, no range.
0.011/%Unit conversionTurns a fraction into a percent.
Market range Exact, no range.
100%Unit conversionMW to kW, for per-kW costs.
Market range Exact, no range.
1000kW/MWUnit conversionMW to W, for the hydraulic flow at rated power.
Market range Exact, no range.
1000000W/MWUnit conversion1 MWh = 3.6e9 J, for the potential-energy relation E = rho g H V eta.
Market range Exact, no range.
3600000000J/MWhUnit conversionMWh to GWh for the annual energy output.
Market range Exact, no range.
0.001GWh/MWhUnit conversionm3 to million m3 for the reservoir volume.
Market range Exact, no range.
0.000001Mm3/m3Unit conversionMWh to kWh, used to turn PNNL's USD/kWh LCOS into USD/MWh.
Market range Exact, no range.
1000kWh/MWhUnit conversionTime base of the cycle-time limit and of the capacity factor.
Market range 8,760 h (8,784 in a leap year).
8760h/yearCalendar conventionSpend assumed concentrated at mid-construction, the usual screening simplification for a multi-year build.
Market range A uniform S-curve gives a similar factor; a front-loaded civil works schedule gives a higher one. No independent range cited.
0.5OpenJack approximationPump-turbines, motor-generators and electrical plant, per kW at the 100 MW reference.
Market range Single PNNL value at 100 MW.
467USD/kWPNNL 2020 Table 5, USD 2021 basis of PNNL-33283Construction and installation of the powerhouse and waterways, per kW at the 100 MW reference.
Market range Single PNNL value at 100 MW.
742USD/kWPNNL 2020 Table 5Upper and lower reservoirs, dams and intake works, per kWh of stored energy.
Market range Single PNNL value at 1,000 MWh.
76USD/kWhPNNL-33283 / PNNL 2020 Table 8Contingency on the direct cost, already inside PNNL's installed cost: the CAPEX exported to project mode is declared fully_financed so the project does not add a second contingency.
Market range Single PNNL value.
33%PNNL 2020 Table 5Economy of scale on the power-related cost (electromechanical and powerhouse civil works).
Market range Single PNNL rule, analysed at 100 and 1,000 MW only.
16%PNNL-33283 Sec. 4.6.1Reference power of the scale law and of the labour O&M rule.
Market range Single PNNL value.
100MWPNNL-33283 Sec. 4.6.1Economy of scale on the reservoir cost.
Market range Single PNNL rule.
16%PNNL-33283 Sec. 4.6.1Reference energy of the reservoir scale rule.
Market range Single PNNL value.
800MWhPNNL-33283 Sec. 4.6.1Exponent of the CAPEX scale law on rated power, the asset size the catalogue binds to.
Market range -16 % per decade of power and of energy (PNNL).
0.924279PNNL-33283 Sec. 4.6.1, power-law form by OpenJackHigher head means less water, smaller waterways and smaller machines for the same power and energy, so a lower cost per kW and per kWh.
Market range b = 0.43-1.0 depending on the case fitted (Cohen Fig. 4-5).
0.7Fit of Cohen et al. Fig. 4-5Reference head of the head cost factor (factor = 1 at 475 m).
Market range Single value.
475mCohen et al. Table 2Generating-mode conversion used to size the reservoir volume and the design flow from the stored energy.
Market range Single NREL value.
88%Cohen et al. Table 2Grid-to-grid round-trip efficiency of the PNNL central case. With the 88 % generating figure it implies 90.9 % on the pumping side.
Market range80%PNNL-33283 Sec. 4.6.4.2Older or variable-speed-less plants, long waterways.
Market range70%NREL ATB 2024Best modern plants, short waterways.
Market range87%NREL ATB 2024PNNL 2022 central case, round trip 80 %.
Market range Not applicable.
1OpenJack DSL conventionATB 2024 low end, round trip 70 %.
Market range Not applicable.
2OpenJack DSL conventionATB 2024 high end, round trip 87 %.
Market range Not applicable.
3OpenJack DSL conventionPhysical service life; also the longest annuity period accepted.
Market range 60 years (PNNL); civil works often last longer.
60yearsPNNL-33283 Table 6.2PNNL's payback period for every storage technology.
Market range 20 years (PNNL base case).
20yearsPNNL-33283 Sec. 6.1.2Construction period of a PSH plant.
Market range Single PNNL value; large projects often take longer.
5yearsPNNL-33283 Table 6.2Real rate, consistent with costs in constant 2021 money and no escalation.
Market range PNNL real interest rate 5.06 % to real cost of equity 9.92 % (Table 6.1).
6.52%PNNL-33283 Table 6.1Labour O&M at 100 MW, per kW-year.
Market range 15.75 at 100 MW, 3.15 at 1,000 MW.
15.75USD/kW/yearPNNL-33283 Table 4.29Total labour doubles per decade of power, so labour per kW falls as (P/100)^(log10 2 - 1).
Market range Single PNNL rule.
2PNNL-33283 Sec. 4.6.2Spare parts, per kW-year.
Market range Single PNNL value.
5.59USD/kW/yearPNNL-33283 Table 4.29Major overhauls and refurbishment, spread per kW-year.
Market range Single PNNL value.
6.85USD/kW/yearPNNL-33283 Table 4.29Printed total at 100 MW, used only as a check.
Market range Single PNNL value.
28.19USD/kW/yearPNNL-33283 Table 4.29Printed total at 1,000 MW, used only as a check.
Market range Single PNNL value.
15.6USD/kW/yearPNNL-33283 Table 4.29Large PNNL configuration.
Market range 100 and 1,000 MW only.
1000MWPNNL-33283 Sec. 4.6Configuration of the installed-cost check.
Market range Single PNNL value.
10hPNNL-33283 Executive SummaryVariable O&M per MWh discharged.
Market range Single ATB value.
0.58USD/MWhNREL ATB 2024PNNL charging price, used to compare the LCOS on PNNL's basis.
Market range US assumption; European day-ahead off-peak prices are typically higher. No independent range cited.
30USD/MWhPNNL-33283 Table 6.1One full equivalent cycle a day at most.
Market range 365 (PNNL).
365cycles/yearPNNL-33283 Sec. 6.1.3Converts PNNL's 2021 USD into 2021 EUR.
Market range 1.1827 (2021).
1.1827USD/EURECB annual average 2021Mass of the stored water.
Market range1000kg/m3Engineering handbookPotential energy of the stored water.
Market range9.81m/s2StandardPrinted installed cost at 100 MW / 10 h, used only as a check.
Market range Single PNNL value.
263USD/kWhPNNL-33283 Executive SummaryPrinted LCOS used as a benchmark on the LCOS ruler.
Market range Single PNNL value.
0.11USD/kWhPNNL-33283 Executive SummaryExternal CAPEX reference, same overnight boundary (no financing).
Market range2228USD/kWNREL ATB 2024External CAPEX reference.
Market range4523USD/kWNREL ATB 2024Largest plant a sourced cost model covers.
Market range Up to 2,100 MW.
2100MWCohen et al. Table 2Lowest head covered by the head cost sensitivity.
Market range150mCohen et al. Fig. 5; ATB 2024Highest head covered by the head cost sensitivity.
Market range Up to 750-762 m.
760mCohen et al. Fig. 4; ATB 2024Shortest sourced duration.
Market range4hPNNL-33283 Sec. 4.6Longest duration offered.
Market range24hPNNL-33283 Sec. 4.6Keeps the scale law finite outside the declared domain.
Market range Not a market value.
300EUR/kWOpenJack guardKeeps the scale law finite outside the declared domain.
Market range Not a market value.
20000EUR/kWOpenJack guardConverts Cohen's reservoir volume for the energy check.
Market range Exact.
1,233.48184m3/acre-ftUnit conversionConverts Cohen's head for the energy check.
Market range Exact.
0.3048m/ftUnit conversionPrinted reservoir volume of Cohen's large case.
Market range Single value.
16397acre-ftCohen et al. Tables 2-3Printed net head of Cohen's large case.
Market range Single value.
1258ftCohen et al. Tables 2-3Printed stored energy, used only as a check.
Market range Single value.
18593MWhCohen et al. Tables 2-3Lower external reference for the CAPEX per kW.
Market range1,883.8EUR/kWNREL ATB 2024Upper external reference for the CAPEX per kW.
Market range3,824.3EUR/kWNREL ATB 2024PNNL installed cost at 100 MW / 10 h.
Market range Single PNNL value.
2,223.7EUR/kWPNNL-33283External reference on the LCOS ruler, valid at its own configuration.
Market range Single PNNL value.
93EUR/MWhPNNL-33283Bottom-up cost of a large closed-loop plant.
Market range1839USD/kWCohen et al. Table 4Bottom-up cost of a small closed-loop plant.
Market range4268USD/kWCohen et al. Table 4Levelised cost per MWh returned to the grid; the charging energy is an input cost divided by the round-trip efficiency.
Market range Not applicable.
—PNNL-33283 Eq. 1Reservoir volume and design flow derived from stored energy, net head and the generating efficiency.
Market range Not applicable.
—Cohen et al.Closed or open loop on the same cost basis.
Market range No independent range cited.
—Scope noteAnnounced simplification.
Market range 0.43 % of reservoir CAPEX per year (PNNL).
—Scope noteRevenue = (discharge price - charging price / RTE) x energy discharged, as an indication of the spread a plant would capture at the entered prices.
Market range Not applicable.
—Scope noteReal or nominal: real.
Market range Not applicable.
—Scope note