Energy mass balanceCostingHydro

High-head reservoir hydropower plant (Francis / Pelton)

Storage hydropower with a reservoir and penstock, 100-1 300 m head, 10-700 MW: turbine chosen by head, water-to-wire efficiency from components, generation from the capacity factor and the inflow it requires, peak-hour share, IRENA cost cases with a sourced size law or your own quote, O&M and LCOE in EUR 2023.

Open Jack

Founder · OpenJack

Add to project

CurrencyEUR 2023
Battery limitfully financed
74 documented assumptions
Updated27 Oct 2026

Mass and energy balance

What the asset draws and delivers for the case and load you choose.

Reference case

Capacity factor

Annual generation as a percent of capacity x 8 760 h, the figure IRENA publishes and project mode chains. Default 52.95 %, the IRENA 2023 global weighted average of new hydropower (53 %). Accepted range 25-90 % (IRENA 2012, large hydro). The calculator returns the inflow this generation requires: compare it with the site hydrology.

Flows

Annual quantities at the current usage. Outline: full capacity, 8,760 h. Fill: 53.0 % capacity factor. Band width: share of energy in; non-energy flows are not to scale.

Installed capacity

Rated electrical output of the generating units, 10-700 MW. The specific cost follows ORNL's new-site law, cost proportional to P^0.975: x1.059 per kW at 10 MW and x0.953 at 700 MW against the 100 MW reference. At a given capacity factor the generation grows with the capacity, so the LCOE falls only by that 2.5 % slope. Above 700 MW IRENA sees economies of scale that this law does not reproduce, so larger plants are refused.

Design flow: — m3/s
Annual generation: — MWh/year
Required annual inflow: — hm3/year
Net head: — m

CAPEX

Specific cost at this size, what backs it, and how it behaves with scale.

Specific CAPEX at this size

—

Reference size 100 MW

ORNL/TM-2015/14 Table 13

CAPEX source

Model value: the reference case, scaled to the capacity with the ORNL exponent 0.975. Customized: the value below is used as entered at every capacity, with no scaling, and is no longer a sourced figure. Fixed O&M stays 2.2 % of it.

Specific installed cost by installed capacity

Ex-factory
Installed
Fully financed· this figure

CAPEX at the battery limit—

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.

High-head reservoir hydropower plantConcept sketch, not to scale · drag to rotate

Electricity (net) outMain product: —
CAPEX to the battery limit: —
Fixed O&M: —
Variable O&M, excluding feedstocks: 0 EUR/year
Asset lifetime: 30 years

Levelised cost of electricity

A standalone indicator for a quick read. Project mode recomputes it for the whole system.

—

Capital component—
O&M component—

Linked to the balance above

Capacity factor

Gross head

Height between the reservoir operating level and the turbine (or tailwater) level. High-head plants: 100 m to ESHA's Pelton limit of 1 300 m. Net head = gross head minus the penstock loss.

Turbine type

Automatic picks Pelton above 350 m net head and Francis below (ESHA Table 6.3; Francis has the higher best efficiency in the overlap). Francis is accepted only for 25-350 m net head, Pelton for 50-1 300 m.

Penstock head loss

Friction loss in the waterway at rated flow, as a percent of gross head. ESHA: a 4 % loss in power is usually acceptable when sizing the penstock; higher values are refused.

Generator efficiency

97 % is ESHA's value for a 1 MW generator; large machines exceed 99 % (IPCC SRREN). Values below 97 % are refused.

Discount rate (real WACC)

Real weighted average cost of capital. IRENA uses 5 % for OECD countries and China and 7.5 % for the rest of the world. All costs are constant 2023 EUR, so the rate must be real.

Peak value premium

Your own estimate, in EUR 2023, of the extra value of one MWh delivered in peak hours (price spread plus ancillary services). Default 0: no grounded 2023 value exists. For orientation, IRENA 2012 quotes USD 0.01-0.05/kWh in 2010 USD (7.5-37.7 EUR2010/MWh), not indexed to 2023.

Levelised cost of electricity by capacity factor

Benchmarks

This model's figures against published references and reference cases.

Specific installed cost, EUR/kW

887.8 IRENA RPGC 2023 Table 7.2

3,876 IRENA RPGC 2023 Table 7.2

Levelised cost of electricity, EUR/MWh

14.8 IRENA RPGC 2023 Ch.7

52.71 IRENA RPGC 2023 Ch.7

231.2 IRENA RPGC 2023 Ch.7

Reference cases at this size and usage

All results

Every model output at the current settings, grouped, with the sensitivity charts.

49 outputs · 4 groups · 11 also shown above, dimmed

Hydraulics and turbine

Net head: Computingm
Penstock head loss: Computingm
Turbine selected: Computingcode
Turbine efficiency: Computing%
Turbine-generator efficiency: Computing%
Waterway efficiency: Computing%
Water-to-wire efficiency: Computing%
Gap to SRREN 90 %: Computingpp
Design flow: Computingm3/s
Water per MWh, lossless waterway: Computingm3/MWh
Water per MWh: Computingm3/MWh
Penstock penalty factor: Computingratio

Energy and dispatch

Annual generation: ComputingMWh/year
Full-load hours: Computingh/year
Required annual inflow: Computinghm3/year
Hydraulic and conversion losses: ComputingMWh/year
Gap to IRENA 2023 CF: Computingpp
Peak share of output: Computing%
Peak-hour energy: ComputingMWh/year
Off-peak energy: ComputingMWh/year
Peak block coverage: Computing%
Peak hours per year: Computingh/year
Peak premium value: ComputingEUR/year

Costs

Levelised cost of electricity: ComputingEUR/MWh
Capital component: ComputingEUR/MWh
O&M component: ComputingEUR/MWh
Value-adjusted LCOE: ComputingEUR/MWh
Specific installed cost: ComputingEUR/kW
Reference case cost: ComputingEUR/kW
Size factor on specific cost: Computingratio
Model specific cost: ComputingEUR/kW
Specific cost in USD 2023: ComputingUSD/kW
Total installed cost: ComputingEUR
Civil works: ComputingEUR
Mechanical and electrical: ComputingEUR
Annualised capital: ComputingEUR/year
Fixed O&M: ComputingEUR/year
Total annual cost: ComputingEUR/year
Capital recovery factor: Computing1/year
LCOE at 5 % WACC: ComputingEUR/MWh
LCOE at 7.5 % WACC: ComputingEUR/MWh

IRENA references

IRENA 2023 average cost in EUR: ComputingEUR/kW
Cost vs IRENA average: Computing%
IRENA 2023 average LCOE: ComputingEUR/MWh
LCOE vs IRENA average: Computing%
IRENA 2023 project LCOE, low: ComputingEUR/MWh
IRENA 2023 project LCOE, high: ComputingEUR/MWh
IRENA peak value, low (EUR 2010): ComputingEUR/MWh
IRENA peak value, high (EUR 2010): ComputingEUR/MWh

Sensitivities

9 charts

LCOE components vs capacity factor

LCOE vs real WACC

LCOE vs capacity factor

Generation and required inflow vs capacity factor

Peak share and peak block coverage vs capacity factor

Installed capacity: economy of scale on cost (ORNL exponent 0.975)

Efficiency vs penstock head loss

Water per MWh vs gross head

Value-adjusted LCOE vs peak premium

Sources

74 documented assumptions · 8 sources

About

Calculator context

Screening techno-economics for a high-head storage hydropower plant: a reservoir, a penstock and Francis or Pelton turbines chosen by head. The calculator goes from the installed capacity and capacity factor to net generation, the annual inflow it requires, losses, peak-hour dispatch, capital and O&M cost, and the LCOE. Every money figure is EUR 2023, real, on IRENA's Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023 conventions: 30-year economic life and a real WACC of 5 % (OECD and China) or 7.5 % (rest of world). IRENA publishes in USD 2023; the calculator converts at the Eurostat 2023 average of 1.0813 USD/EUR and shows that conversion as its own step.

Hydraulics follow the ESHA guide. Net head = gross head x (1 - penstock loss), with ESHA's 4 % sizing criterion as default and ceiling. The turbine is chosen from ESHA Table 6.3: Pelton above 350 m net head, Francis below (higher best efficiency in the overlap). The user can force a type inside its head range. The water-to-wire efficiency is the product of the components, never a posted total: turbine (ESHA Table 6.7: Francis 94 %, Pelton 90 % or 89 %) x generator (97-99 %, ESHA and IPCC SRREN) x (1 - head loss). At the default 500 m gross head the plant runs a multi-nozzle Pelton at 0.90 x 0.99 x 0.96 = 85.54 %, against SRREN's "about 90 %" water to wire.

Energy: the capacity factor is the usage input, the figure IRENA publishes and project mode chains; default 52.95 %, IRENA 2023's global weighted average, accepted 25-90 % (IRENA 2012 large hydro). E_gen = P x 8 760 h x CF. The calculator returns the annual inflow this generation requires (E_gen x water per MWh, 398.0 hm3/yr at the default) for the user to compare with the site hydrology, and the hydraulic and conversion losses, E_gen x (1/eta_w2w - 1). The reservoir lets the plant run at full power in the 3 120 weekday peak hours first (ICE Endex 08:00-20:00 block), so 67.3 % of the default output lands in peak hours.

Costs: three reference cases, all IRENA 2023 total installed cost on the same all-in scope (owner's costs, working capital and interest during construction included), exported with battery_limit 'fully_financed': the 2023 global weighted average USD 2 806/kW (2 595.0 EUR/kW, default) and the 5th and 95th percentiles of the 51-100 MW class over 2000-2023, USD 960 and 4 191/kW. They are percentiles, not projects: a x4.4 spread inside one class, so no single figure is the cost of hydropower. The cost is scaled with capacity as (P/100 MW)^(0.975-1), the capacity exponent of ORNL's 2015 new stream-reach model (17 United States projects, 3-824 MW): x1.059 per kW at 10 MW, x0.953 at 700 MW. 100 MW is an OpenJack reference size; IRENA's average prints none. The ORNL head term is not used: cost does not depend on head here. IRENA finds no strong economies of scale below about 450 MW and clear ones only above 700 MW, hence the 700 MW ceiling. A Customized all-in quote (699-4 575 EUR2023/kW, the extreme percentiles of IRENA Table 7.2 up to 700 MW) replaces the case and is used as entered at every size. Civil works are shown as 70 %, mechanical and electrical as 30 % (IRENA Table 7.1, high-head reservoir storage, Europe 2021), for display only. Fixed O&M is 2.2 %/yr of the installed cost (IEA, cited by IRENA) and includes overhaul and rewinding, not major refurbishment. LCOE = (CRF x CAPEX + O&M) / E_gen. Default: 48.70 EUR2023/MWh at 5 % and 59.7 at 7.5 %. Across the input box it spans about 7.7 to 223 EUR2023/MWh: the bottom, a Customized quote at IRENA's lowest percentile run at 90 %, is below the cheapest project IRENA observed in 2023 (14.8 EUR2023/MWh); the three cases alone stay at or below 200. Cross-check, not a calibration: IRENA's 2023 global average of USD 0.057/kWh is 52.71 EUR2023/MWh, between the default's 5 % and 7.5 % results, as expected for an average that blends both rates and real project mixes.

Value: an optional user premium (EUR 2023 per peak MWh, default 0) gives a value-adjusted LCOE = LCOE - premium x peak share. IRENA 2012 only says peak and ancillary services are "thought to add" USD 0.01-0.05/kWh, in 2010 USD (7.5-37.7 EUR2010/MWh). That range is shown for orientation, not indexed to 2023, and never used as a default. No grounded peak or off-peak price was found, so absolute revenue is not computed.

Limits: the required inflow is not checked against a hydrology, and no spill is modelled. Capacity factors below 25 % are refused, although IRENA 2023 Table 7.3 prints a 5th percentile of 16 % for Europe 2016-2023. O&M is a flat 2.2 % (range 2-2.5 %, IRENA 2012); IRENA notes larger projects below 2 % and smaller ones higher, which is not modelled beyond the size law it inherits from the capital cost. Not modelled: seasonal storage limits, environmental-flow scheduling, part-load efficiency, sediment, refurbishment, taxes and grid connection beyond the plant.

Model

129 variables — inputs, calculations and outputs, with their dependencies.

129 variables shown of 129

Value	Unit	Depends on
100	MW	—
52.95	%	—
1	—	—
0	—	—
2595	EUR/kW	—
500	m	—
0	—	—
4	%	—
99	%	—
0.05	ratio	—
0	EUR/MWh	—

Variable	Formula	Unit	Depends on
	`if((<)+(>)+(<=)+(<)+(>)+(<)+(>)+(<)+(>)+(>=)((<)+(>))+(<)+(>)+(<)+(>)+(<)+(>)+((-)<)+((-)>)+(==)((-)>)+(>=)((-*)<)+(<)+(>=)+(<)>,,)`	bool
	`if(==,,if(==,,))`	USD/kW
	`(*(+)^)/max((+*)^-,)`	1/year
	`(*(+)^)/max((+*)^-,)`	1/year

Variable	Formula	Unit	Depends on
	`(-)`	m
	`-`	m
	`if(==,if(>,,),)`	code
	`if(==,,if(==,,))`	%
	`(-)`	%
	`**`	%
	`**`	%
	`-`	pp
	`/max(***,)`	m3/s
	`/max(****,)`	m3/MWh
	`/max(-*,)`	ratio
	`*`	m3/MWh
	`***`	MWh/year
	`*/`	hm3/year
	`*(/max(,)-)`	MWh/year
	`-`	pp
	`/max(,)`	h/year
	`**`	h/year
	`min(,*)`	MWh/year
	`-`	MWh/year
	`/max(,)*`	%
	`/max(,)`	%
	`if(<,/,(*(+)^)/max((+)^-,))`	1/year
	`/`	EUR/kW
	`(/)^(-)`	ratio
	`clamp(*,/,/)`	EUR/kW
	`if(>=,,)`	EUR/kW
	`**`	EUR
	`**`	EUR
	`-`	EUR
	`/`	EUR/kW
	`*`	USD/kW
	`/max(,)*`	%
	`*`	EUR/year
	`**`	EUR/year
	`+`	EUR/year
	`/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`(+)/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`(+)/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`*/`	EUR/MWh
	`*/`	EUR/MWh
	`*/`	EUR/MWh
	`/max(,)*`	%
	`*`	EUR/year
	`-/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`*/`	EUR/MWh
	`*/`	EUR/MWh

Assumptions

74 assumptions used in the calculations

Protects divisions; far below any physical value of the model.
Market range Not applicable.
0
OpenJack DSL convention
Zero used in the validity guard and the turbine selector.
Market range Not applicable (exact).
0
Numerical constant
Unit multiplier used in the head-loss factor, the CRF and the validity guard.
Market range Not applicable (exact).
1
Numerical constant
Turns a percent (0-100) into a fraction.
Market range Not applicable (exact).
0.011/%
Numerical constant
Turns a fraction into a percent.
Market range Not applicable (exact).
100%
Numerical constant
Hours in a non-leap year; base of the capacity factor.
Market range Not applicable (exact).
8760h/year
Numerical constant
Converts the installed capacity from MW to kW for the per-kW capital cost.
Market range Not applicable (exact).
1000kW/MW
Numerical constant
Converts MW to W in the design-flow equation P = rho g Q H eta.
Market range Not applicable (exact).
1000000W/MW
Numerical constant
1 MWh = 3.6e9 J; turns rho g H V (J) into MWh.
Market range Not applicable (exact).
3600000000J/MWh
Numerical constant
1 hm3 (cubic hectometre, million m3) = 1e6 m3.
Market range Not applicable (exact).
1000000m3/hm3
Numerical constant
Turns a USD/kWh figure into USD/MWh.
Market range Not applicable (exact).
1000kWh/MWh
Numerical constant
Number of whole weeks used to count the weekday peak block (52 x 5 x 12 = 3120 h).
Market range Not applicable (exact).
52weeks/year
Numerical constant
Reference size Pref of specific_capex_scaled = case cost x (P/Pref)^(0.975-1). IRENA's 2 806 USD/kW average prints no size: 100 MW is an OpenJack convention, not the size of a cited cost anchor. At 100 MW the size factor is 1, so the three IRENA cases enter unscaled.
Market range No independent range cited.
100MW
OpenJack convention
Capital-cost exponent on installed capacity for a new hydropower site. Only the capacity term of the ORNL law is used: its head term (H^-0.120) is not taken, so the cost in this calculator does not depend on head. Evidence medium: 17 United States projects. The capacity slider stops at 700 MW, beyond which IRENA sees economies of scale that 0.975 does not reproduce. Factor x1.059 at 10 MW and x0.953 at 700 MW against 100 MW.
Market range ORNL NSD alternative models in Appendix A give exponents up to and above 1; no independent range cited.
0.975
ORNL/TM-2015/14 Table 13
Smallest capacity accepted: the large-hydro cost and capacity-factor basis does not apply to small hydro.
Market range Not a market value.
10MW
IRENA RPGC 2023 / ORNL 2015
Largest capacity accepted: above 700 MW IRENA observes economies of scale that the 0.975 exponent does not reproduce.
Market range Not a market value.
700MW
IRENA RPGC 2023 p.156
Turbine selector value 0 = automatic choice by net head (ESHA Table 6.3 rule).
Market range Not applicable.
0
OpenJack selector
Turbine selector value 1 = Francis.
Market range Not applicable.
1
OpenJack selector
Turbine selector value 2 = Pelton with several nozzles.
Market range Not applicable.
2
OpenJack selector
Turbine selector value 3 = Pelton with one nozzle.
Market range Not applicable.
3
OpenJack selector
Density of turbined water in the hydraulic power and energy equations.
Market range
1000kg/m3
ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
Gravitational acceleration in P = rho g Q H eta and E = rho g H V.
Market range
9.81m/s2
ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
Upper limit of the head-loss input (and its default). Above 4 % the input is refused: the ESHA criterion is the only grounded value, and the water-to-wire bounds of this calculator are built on 0-4 %.
Market range Recommended domain 0-4 % (ESHA sizing criterion).
4%
ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
Lowest net head accepted for a Francis turbine; below it the input is refused.
Market range ESHA Table 6.3: 25-350 m.
25m
ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
Automatic selection switches to Pelton above 350 m net head; a Francis forced above it is refused.
Market range ESHA Table 6.3: 25-350 m.
350m
ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
Lowest net head accepted for a Pelton turbine.
Market range ESHA Table 6.3: 50-1 300 m.
50m
ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
Highest net head accepted by the calculator.
Market range ESHA Table 6.3: 50-1 300 m.
1300m
ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
Turbine efficiency when a Francis unit is selected. A best-efficiency value: the reservoir lets the plant run near rated flow, so part-load efficiency is not modelled.
Market range SRREN: well over 90 % for modern large turbines.
94%
ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
Turbine efficiency of a multi-nozzle Pelton unit, the automatic choice above 350 m net head.
Market range ESHA Table 6.7: 0.89 (1 nozzle) to 0.90 (n nozzles).
90%
ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
Turbine efficiency when a single-nozzle Pelton is forced by the user.
Market range ESHA Table 6.7: 0.89.
89%
ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
Upper limit and default of the generator efficiency input (large units).
Market range 97 % (1 MW, ESHA) to 99 % (large units, SRREN).
99%
IPCC SRREN (2011), Chapter 5 Hydropower
Lower limit of the generator efficiency input. Lower values are refused: they belong to sub-MW units outside the scope.
Market range ESHA Table 6.8: 0.970 at 1 MW.
97%
ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
Reference value shown next to the derived water-to-wire efficiency, never substituted for it.
Market range SRREN: about 90 %.
90%
IPCC SRREN (2011), Chapter 5 Hydropower
Lowest capacity factor accepted (slider floor). Below 25 % the plant is oversized for the IRENA large-hydro cost basis used here and the input is refused, not priced.
Market range IRENA 2012: 25-90 % for large hydro. IRENA 2023 Table 7.3 prints a 5th percentile of 16 % for Europe 2016-2023, below this floor: such plants are outside the calculator.
25%
IRENA (2012), Renewable Energy Technologies: Cost Analysis Series - Hydropower
Highest capacity factor accepted (slider ceiling), a modelling convention from IRENA 2012's large-hydro upper bound, not a measured availability.
Market range IRENA 2012: 25-90 % for large hydro.
90%
IRENA (2012), Renewable Energy Technologies: Cost Analysis Series - Hydropower
Reference shown as the gap (percentage points) between the plant's capacity factor and the 2023 global weighted average of new hydropower.
Market range IRENA 2023: 44 % (2010) to 53 % (2023) global weighted average.
53%
IRENA (2024), Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Hours of the daily peak block in which a storage plant with at least daily storage concentrates its output.
Market range Exchange contract definition, no range.
12h/day
ICE Endex, French Power Financial Peak Daily Futures, contract specifications
Weekdays per week in the peak block. With 52 weeks: 12 x 5 x 52 = 3 120 peak hours a year (derived).
Market range Exchange contract definition, no range.
5days/week
ICE Endex, French Power Financial Peak Daily Futures, contract specifications
Cost of the default reference case 'IRENA 2023 global weighted average' (projects commissioned in 2023), kept in USD so the currency conversion is visible as its own step. A capacity-weighted average of many sites, not a typical project: the 51-100 MW class alone spans USD 960-4 191/kW (5th-95th percentile).
Market range IRENA: most projects 2010-2023 between about USD 500 and 5 000/kW.
2806USD/kW
IRENA (2024), Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Code of the reference cost case 'IRENA 2023 global weighted average'.
Market range Not applicable.
1
OpenJack selector code
Code of the reference cost case 'IRENA 51-100 MW, 5th percentile'.
Market range Not applicable.
2
OpenJack selector code
Code of the reference cost case 'IRENA 51-100 MW, 95th percentile'.
Market range Not applicable.
3
OpenJack selector code
Cost of the 'low bracket' reference case, in the class that contains the 100 MW reference. 887.8 EUR2023/kW at 1.0813. O&M 2.2 % and the ESHA efficiency chain as in every case; IRENA prints no efficiency.
Market range IRENA 51-100 MW: USD 960-4 191/kW (5th-95th), weighted average 2 062.
960USD/kW
IRENA RPGC 2023 Table 7.2
Cost of the 'high bracket' reference case, 3 875.9 EUR2023/kW at 1.0813. The x4.4 spread between the brackets inside one class is why 2 806 USD/kW is never presented as 'the' cost.
Market range IRENA 51-100 MW: USD 960-4 191/kW (5th-95th).
4191USD/kW
IRENA RPGC 2023 Table 7.2
Reference mark on the specific cost: IRENA 51-100 MW class, USD 960/kW (5th percentile), in EUR 2023.
Market range IRENA 51-100 MW: 887.8-3 875.9 EUR2023/kW.
887.82EUR/kW
IRENA RPGC 2023 Table 7.2
Reference mark on the specific cost: IRENA 51-100 MW class, USD 4 191/kW (95th percentile), in EUR 2023.
Market range IRENA 51-100 MW: 887.8-3 875.9 EUR2023/kW.
3,875.89EUR/kW
IRENA RPGC 2023 Table 7.2
Lowest Customized specific cost accepted (slider min and guard).
Market range IRENA Table 7.2 percentiles, classes up to 700 MW: USD 756-4 947/kW.
699EUR/kW
IRENA RPGC 2023 Table 7.2 / Eurostat
Highest Customized specific cost accepted (slider max and guard).
Market range IRENA Table 7.2 percentiles, classes up to 700 MW: USD 756-4 947/kW.
4575EUR/kW
IRENA RPGC 2023 Table 7.2 / Eurostat
Converts IRENA's 2023 USD figures (capital cost, LCOE references, capex range) into 2023 EUR.
Market range Annual average; daily rates moved roughly 1.05-1.12 in 2023.
1.0813USD/EUR
Eurostat ert_bil_eur_a (Euro/ECU exchange rates, annual data)
Upper clamp of the scaled specific capital cost.
Market range IRENA 2023: about USD 500-5 000/kW.
5000USD/kW
IRENA (2024), Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Lower clamp of the scaled model cost. Replaces IRENA 2012's USD 1 000/kW (925 EUR/kW), which would have bitten on the 5th percentile case above about 19 MW.
Market range IRENA 2023: about USD 500-5 000/kW.
500USD/kW
IRENA (2024), Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Split of the total installed cost into civil works (70 %: dam, reservoir, tunnels, powerhouse) and mechanical plus electrical equipment (10 % + 20 %). Display only: the LCOE uses the total. Applies to the Customized value as well.
Market range IRENA Table 7.1: 70 / 10 / 20 for high-head reservoir storage; 50 / 30 / 20 for low-head run of river.
70%
IRENA (2024), Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Fixed O&M as a share of the total installed cost per year. A model value: same in the three cases and under Customized.
Market range
2.2%/year
IRENA RPGC 2023 Ch.7 (IEA 2010)
Annuity period of the capital (CRF). Held fixed so the LCOE stays on IRENA's basis.
Market range IRENA LCOE convention: 30 years.
30years
IRENA (2024), Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Used for the reference output 'LCOE at 5 % WACC', which stays on IRENA's OECD/China basis whatever discount rate the user sets.
Market range IRENA standardised: 5 % (OECD and China) or 7.5 % (rest of world).
5%
IRENA (2024), Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Used for the reference output 'LCOE at 7.5 % WACC'.
Market range IRENA standardised: 5 % or 7.5 %.
7.5%
IRENA (2024), Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Reference shown as 'IRENA 2023 average LCOE' and as the ratio of the plant's LCOE to it.
Market range IRENA 2023 projects: USD 0.016-0.250/kWh.
0.057USD/kWh
IRENA (2024), Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Lower end of the observed 2023 project LCOE range, shown as a reference band.
Market range USD 0.016-0.250/kWh.
0.016USD/kWh
IRENA (2024), Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Upper end of the observed 2023 project LCOE range, shown as a reference band.
Market range USD 0.016-0.250/kWh.
0.25USD/kWh
IRENA (2024), Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Reference mark on the LCOE, EUR 2023 real.
Market range IRENA 2023 projects: 14.80-231.20 EUR2023/MWh.
14.8EUR/MWh
IRENA RPGC 2023 Ch.7
Reference mark on the LCOE, EUR 2023 real.
Market range IRENA 2023 projects: 14.80-231.20 EUR2023/MWh.
52.71EUR/MWh
IRENA RPGC 2023 Ch.7
Reference mark on the LCOE, EUR 2023 real.
Market range IRENA 2023 projects: 14.80-231.20 EUR2023/MWh.
231.2EUR/MWh
IRENA RPGC 2023 Ch.7
Low end of IRENA's peak and ancillary value range, shown in EUR2010/MWh next to the user's premium input.
Market range USD 0.01-0.05/kWh (2010).
0.01USD/kWh
IRENA (2012), Renewable Energy Technologies: Cost Analysis Series - Hydropower
High end of IRENA's peak and ancillary value range, shown in EUR2010/MWh.
Market range USD 0.01-0.05/kWh (2010).
0.05USD/kWh
IRENA (2012), Renewable Energy Technologies: Cost Analysis Series - Hydropower
Converts IRENA's 2010 USD peak-value range into 2010 EUR.
Market range Annual average.
1.3257USD/EUR
Eurostat ert_bil_eur_a (Euro/ECU exchange rates, annual data)
SCOPE. One storage hydropower plant with its own reservoir, a penstock and Francis or Pelton units, high head (100-1 300 m gross). From the natural inflow into the reservoir to net electricity at the generator terminals. Pumped storage, run-of-river without storage, transmission beyond the plant, and reservoir multi-purpose uses (irrigation, flood control) are out of scope.
Market range Not applicable (scope statement).
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OpenJack scope statement
CAPEX BOUNDARY. The capital cost of the three reference cases is IRENA's total installed cost, an all-in figure for commissioned projects (p.155: owner's costs, working capital and interest during construction included). A Customized value must be on the same all-in basis. costs.capex.isbl exports it with battery_limit 'fully_financed', so project mode adds no further cost layers or contingency on top.
Market range Not applicable (boundary statement).
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IRENA RPGC 2023 Ch.7
ECONOMIC BASIS. EUR 2023, real terms, 30-year economic life, real WACC 5 % (OECD/China) or 7.5 % (rest of world), constant annual flows, no tax, no inflation, no fuel. IRENA's USD 2023 figures are converted at the Eurostat 2023 average of 1.0813 USD/EUR (derived step, evidence medium). The exported O&M is an undiscounted annual cash amount in 2023 EUR.
Market range Not applicable (basis statement).
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IRENA RPGC 2023 Annex I
DISPATCH. The reservoir is assumed to hold at least daily-to-weekly storage, so the plant runs at full power in the 3 120 weekday peak hours first and places the remaining energy off-peak: E_peak = min(E_gen, P x 3 120 h). Seasonal storage limits, ramping limits and minimum environmental flows are not modelled.
Market range Not applicable (assumption).
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OpenJack modelling assumption
O&M. 2.2 %/year of the total installed cost, a model value (not an input), also applied to a Customized quote. It covers routine O&M, turbine overhaul and generator rewinding. Major refurbishment is excluded: the 30-year economic life amortises the plant before it is needed (IRENA). Scale: being a share of the scaled capital cost, it already follows the size factor; IRENA p.164 adds that larger projects sit below the 2 % average and smaller ones higher, which this flat 2.2 % does not model.
Market range 2-2.5 %/year (IRENA 2012, IPCC 2011).
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IRENA RPGC 2023 Ch.7
VALUE ADJUSTMENT. The value-adjusted LCOE subtracts a user premium (EUR 2023/MWh of peak energy) weighted by the peak share. The premium defaults to 0. IRENA's order of magnitude for peak plus ancillary value, USD 0.01-0.05/kWh in 2010 USD (7.5-37.7 EUR2010/MWh), is shown as a reference but is NOT indexed to 2023 and is not mixed into the 2023 LCOE.
Market range IRENA 2012: USD 0.01-0.05/kWh (2010), order of magnitude.
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OpenJack modelling choice
TURBINE CHOICE. Automatic: net head above 350 m gives a multi-nozzle Pelton; 25-350 m gives a Francis, whose best efficiency is higher in the overlap. The user may force Pelton in the overlap; a Francis forced above 350 m net head is refused. The turbine type sets only the turbine efficiency.
Market range Not applicable (rule).
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ESHA (2004), Guide on How to Develop a Small Hydropower Plant
INPUT BOX. The box no longer stays inside IRENA's 2023 project range (14.8-231.2 EUR2023/MWh): a Customized quote at IRENA's lowest percentile combined with a 90 % capacity factor gives 7.7 EUR/MWh, below any 2023 project. This is kept, because both ends are observed separately in IRENA's data; the bounds of the LCOE are set on the corner sweep, not on IRENA's range.
Market range Not a market value.
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OpenJack input box
USAGE LEVER. The capacity factor is an input, default 52.95 % (IRENA 2023 global weighted average). The calculator no longer takes an inflow: it returns the required annual inflow (398.0 hm3/yr at the default) for the user to compare with the site hydrology. No spill is modelled.
Market range IRENA 2012: 25-90 % for large hydro; IRENA 2023 Table 7.3: 16 % (5th percentile, Europe 2016-2023) upward.
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OpenJack default