Energy mass balanceCostingEquipment sizingBiomass

Industrial wood-chip biomass boiler (hot water or steam) - levelised cost of heat

Grate-fired wood-chip boiler for hot water or low-pressure steam: wood tonnage from the moisture content, ash, auxiliaries, installed CAPEX on a DEA scale law checked against ADEME, and the levelised cost of heat in EUR/MWh.

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CurrencyEUR 2020
Battery limitinstalled
59 documented assumptions
Updated2 Nov 2026

Mass and energy balance

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

Reference case

Full-load hours45.7 %

Equivalent hours per year at nominal output. ADEME's typical industrial duty is 3,000 h below 1 MW, 4,000 h at 1-3 MW and 5,000 h above 3 MW; 7,000 h is near-baseload process steam.

Flows

Annual quantities at the current usage. Band width: share of energy in; non-energy flows are not to scale.

Nominal heat output

Heat delivered by the boiler at full load, as printed on the nameplate. 300-20,000 kW covers industrial grate boilers; it includes the catalogue products HARGASSNER Magno-SR 700 (700 kW) and HERZ BioFire Taurus 2000 (2,000 kW, the default). Costs are anchored on the DEA small wood-chip plant (6,840 kW); below it the CAPEX is an extrapolation of the DEA scale law, counter-checked against ADEME's size bands.

Fuel input at nominal output: — kW
Wood feed at nominal output: — t/h
Auxiliary electric load at nominal output: — kW
Heat delivered: — MWh

CAPEX

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

Specific CAPEX at this size

—

Reference size 6,840 kW

Scale law exponent

CAPEX source

Model value: the DEA installed cost scaled to the size. Customized: your own installed figure, used as is at every size and no longer sourced.

Specific installed CAPEX by nominal heat output

Ex-factory
Installed· this figure
Fully financed

CAPEX at the battery limit—

Working capital, contingencyproject level

Included

Equipment
Installation, civil works and engineering

Not included

Working capital
Contingency

Added at project level

Working capital layer, from the project settings
Contingency, from the project settings

Project figures

Values passed to project mode when this asset is added to a project.

Industrial wood-chip biomass boilerConcept sketch, not to scale · drag to rotate

Wood chips (as received) in: —
Auxiliary electricity in: —
Heat (hot water or low-pressure steam) outMain product: —
CAPEX to the battery limit: —
Fixed O&M: —
Variable O&M, excluding feedstocks: —
Asset lifetime: 25 years

Levelised cost of heat

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

—

LCOH - capital—
LCOH - fixed O&M—
LCOH - variable O&M and ash—
LCOH - auxiliary electricity—
LCOH - wood fuel—

Linked to the balance above

Full-load hours45.7 %

Equivalent hours per year at nominal output. ADEME's typical industrial duty is 3,000 h below 1 MW, 4,000 h at 1-3 MW and 5,000 h above 3 MW; 7,000 h is near-baseload process steam.

Wood moisture content (wet basis)

Water as a share of the delivered (wet) mass. It sets the LHV as received and so the tonnes to buy and handle. Danish plants burned 25-55 % (DEA, 2014-15); 35 % is the C.A.R.M.E.N. price reference; DEA reports combustion up to 60 %.

Ash content (dry basis)

Ash per dry mass of wood. 2 % is typical of coniferous forest residues and 1.5 % of broad-leaf residues (FAO / CEN/TS 14961); DEA's commercial chip specification caps it at 2 %.

Wood-chip price (per MWh LHV)

Delivered price per MWh of LHV. Default 32.40 EUR/MWh is the C.A.R.M.E.N. 2025 average for 35 % chips (100.45 EUR/t, gross of 7 % VAT). If your supplier quotes per tonne, divide by the LHV as received shown in the results (MWh/t).

Separate ash disposal price

Leave at 0: DEA's variable O&M already includes disposal of residues. Enter a price only if your site pays ash disposal on top of O&M (no sourced price was found).

Electricity price (auxiliaries)

Delivered price excluding VAT for fans, conveyors and pumps. Default 121.7 EUR/MWh is Eurostat's EU27 band IF, 2025-S2; the range runs from France band IG (61.4) to EU band IC (183.7).

Real discount rate

Real rate for the capital annuity, as a fraction. ADEME reports industrial biomass heat at 5, 8 and 10 %; costs are held constant over the life, so the rate is real.

Economic lifetime

Annuity period. Default 20 years is ADEME's; DEA gives a technical lifetime of 25 years (20-35).

Levelised cost of heat by full-load hours

Benchmarks

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

Specific installed CAPEX, EUR/kW

610 ADEME 2016 p. 32

940 ADEME 2016 p. 32

1,100 ADEME 2016 p. 32

Wood LHV as received, GJ/t

8.1 DEA Table 3 p. 73

10.3 DEA Table 3 p. 73

Levelised cost of heat, EUR/MWh

46 ADEME 2016 p. 31

79 ADEME 2018 p. 2

Reference cases at this size and usage

All results

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

62 outputs · 4 groups · 17 also shown above, dimmed

Levelised cost of heat

Levelised cost of heat: ComputingEUR/MWh
LCOH - capital: ComputingEUR/MWh
LCOH - fixed O&M: ComputingEUR/MWh
LCOH - variable O&M and ash: ComputingEUR/MWh
LCOH - auxiliary electricity: ComputingEUR/MWh
LCOH - wood fuel: ComputingEUR/MWh
Wood share of the LCOH: Computing%
LCOH at ADEME typical hours for this size: ComputingEUR/MWh
LCOH with the ADEME size-band CAPEX: ComputingEUR/MWh
LCOH over the DEA 25-year lifetime: ComputingEUR/MWh
LCOH at a 5 % discount rate: ComputingEUR/MWh
LCOH at a 10 % discount rate: ComputingEUR/MWh

Wood fuel and ash

Wood chips burned (as received): Computingt
Ash to dispose of: Computingt
Wood LHV as received: ComputingGJ/t
Wood LHV as received (MWh/t): ComputingMWh/t
Wood price per tonne as received: ComputingEUR/t
Model LHV at 35 % moisture: ComputingMWh/t
Energy content implied by C.A.R.M.E.N. prices: ComputingMWh/t
Moisture outside the DEA measured range: Computingbool
Wood per MWh of heat: Computingt/MWh
Wood feed at nominal output: Computingt/h
Dry wood burned: Computingt
Water carried in with the fuel: Computingt
Heat spent evaporating fuel water: ComputingMWh
Ash above the 2 % commercial limit: Computingbool

Capital and O&M

Installed CAPEX: ComputingEUR
Installed CAPEX (MEUR): ComputingMEUR
Specific installed CAPEX: ComputingEUR/kW
Specific-cost exponent from the DEA sheets: Computingratio
ADEME CAPEX for this size band: ComputingEUR/kW
Gap to the ADEME size band: Computing%
Equipment part of the CAPEX: ComputingEUR
Installation part of the CAPEX: ComputingEUR
Equipment share of the CAPEX: Computing%
Capital recovery factor: Computing1/year
CRF over 25 years: Computing1/year
CRF at 5 %: Computing1/year
CRF at 10 %: Computing1/year
Annualised CAPEX: ComputingEUR/year
Fixed O&M: ComputingEUR/year
Variable O&M (residue disposal included): ComputingEUR/year
Separate ash disposal charge: ComputingEUR/year
Variable O&M and ash: ComputingEUR/year
Auxiliary electricity cost: ComputingEUR/year
Wood fuel cost: ComputingEUR/year
Total annual cost: ComputingEUR/year

Heat and energy balance

Heat delivered: ComputingMWh
Nominal heat output (MW): ComputingMW
Full-load hours used: Computingh/year
Capacity factor: Computing%
ADEME typical hours for this size: Computingh/year
Boiler efficiency (LHV, annual): Computing%
Fuel energy per MWh of heat: ComputingMWh/MWh
Auxiliary uplift on purchased energy: Computingratio
Purchased energy per MWh of heat: ComputingMWh/MWh
Fuel energy input (LHV): ComputingMWh
Fuel input at nominal output: ComputingkW
Auxiliary electricity: ComputingMWh
Auxiliary electric load at nominal output: ComputingkW
Fuel energy not delivered as heat: ComputingMWh
Overall efficiency (auxiliaries counted): Computing%

Sensitivities

5 charts

LCOH components vs full-load hours

Wood tonnage and LHV vs moisture content

Specific CAPEX and LCOH vs nominal heat output

LCOH vs wood-chip price

Ash to dispose of vs ash content

Sources

59 documented assumptions · 8 sources

About

Calculator context

A screening model of an industrial grate boiler burning wood chips to deliver hot water or low-pressure steam, built for a feasibility study that has to stand in front of a lender. The wood LHV as received follows the CHPQA formula (18.3 MJ/kg dry, minus the water share and its 2.442 MJ/kg of evaporation), so the moisture content sets the tonnes to buy and the ash to remove. Two sourced reference cases set the annual efficiency: hot water without flue-gas condensation, 89 % (Danish Energy Agency, data sheet 09a, 2020 lower value), or low-pressure steam, 85 % (ADEME industrial boiler). Auxiliary electricity is 2.2 % of the heat (DEA). The installed CAPEX scales from DEA's 733.7 EUR/kW at 6.84 MW with a capacity exponent of 0.831, derived from DEA's own small and medium wood-chip sheets and counter-checked against ADEME's size bands (1,100 / 940 / 610 EUR/kW); a customized installed figure is used as is. Fixed O&M is 34,560 EUR/MW/year and variable O&M 1.27 EUR/MWh, residue disposal included (DEA). The CAPEX is installed and is exported to project mode with battery_limit = installed.

At 2,000 kW (HERZ BioFire Taurus 2000 size), 4,000 h, 35 % moisture, steam, wood at 32.40 EUR/MWh (C.A.R.M.E.N. 2025), auxiliaries at 121.7 EUR/MWh (Eurostat EU band IF), 8 % and 20 years, the boiler delivers 8,000 MWh of heat a year from about 3,069 t of chips, leaves about 40 t of ash, costs 1.81 MEUR installed (903 EUR/kW) and gives a levelised cost of heat of 73.7 EUR/MWh, of which 38.1 is wood and 23.0 capital. ADEME reports 46-79 EUR/MWh for industrial biomass heat in 2014 terms; that comparison is qualitative, as fuel prices and money years differ.

Limits: capital and O&M are DEA 2020 EUR, not escalated to 2025, while fuel and electricity are 2025 prices; below 6.84 MW the CAPEX is an extrapolation of the DEA law. Steam pressure, flue-gas cleaning beyond DEA's scope and backup capacity are not sized.

Model

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

123 variables shown of 123

Value	Unit	Depends on
2000	kW	—
4000	h/year	—
2	—	—
0	—	—
900	EUR/kW	—
35	%	—
2	%	—
32.4	EUR/MWh	—
0	EUR/t	—
121.7	EUR/MWh	—
0.08	ratio	—
20	years	—

Variable	Formula	Unit	Depends on
	`if((<=)+(<=)+(>)+(!=)(!=)+(<)+(>)+(>=)(<=)+(<)+(>)+(<)+(>=)+(<)+(<)+(<)+(<)+(>=)+(<)+(>)>,,)`	bool
	`if(==,,)`	ratio

Variable	Formula	Unit	Depends on
	`*`	MW
	`min(,)`	h/year
	`/*`	%
	`*`	MWh
	`*`	%
	`(-)/-/`	GJ/t
	`/`	MWh/t
	`((-)/-/)/`	MWh/t
	`/`	MWh/t
	`if((<)+(>)>,,)`	bool
	`/max(,)`	MWh/MWh
	`+*`	ratio
	`*`	MWh/MWh
	`*`	MWh
	`*`	kW
	`*/max(,)`	t
	`/max(,)`	t/MWh
	`*`	t/h
	`*(-)/`	t
	`-`	t
	`**`	t
	`if(>,,)`	bool
	`*/`	MWh
	`*`	MWh
	`*`	kW
	`-`	MWh
	`/max(,)`	%
	`if(>=,,clamp(*(/)^(-),,))`	EUR/kW
	`ln(/)/ln(/)`	ratio
	`if(<,,if(<=,,))`	EUR/kW
	`(/max(,)-)*`	%
	`*`	EUR
	`/`	MEUR
	`/max(+,)*`	%
	`**`	EUR
	`-`	EUR
	`if(<,/max(,),(*(+)^)/max((+)^-,))`	1/year
	`*`	EUR/year
	`*`	EUR/year
	`*`	EUR/year
	`*`	EUR/year
	`+`	EUR/year
	`*`	EUR/year
	`*`	EUR/year
	`++++`	EUR/year
	`/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`/max(,)*`	%
	`*`	EUR/t
	`if(<,,if(<=,,))`	h/year
	`(+)/max(*,)+++`	EUR/MWh
	`-+**/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`if(<,/,(*(+)^)/max((+)^-,))`	1/year
	`-+*/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`(*(+)^)/max((+*)^-,)`	1/year
	`(*(+)^)/max((+*)^-,)`	1/year
	`-+*/max(,)`	EUR/MWh
	`-+*/max(,)`	EUR/MWh

Assumptions

59 assumptions used in the calculations

Prevents division by zero.
Market range Not applicable.
0.000001
Numerical guard
Named zero for guards (no inline literal).
Market range Not applicable.
0
Numerical constant
Named one for guards and the annuity formula.
Market range Not applicable.
1
Numerical constant
Upper limit of full-load hours and capacity-factor base.
Market range 8760 (8784 in a leap year).
8760h/year
Time convention
Fraction to percent.
Market range Not applicable.
100%
Unit conversion
Percent to fraction.
Market range Not applicable.
0.01
Unit conversion
kW to MW.
Market range Not applicable.
0.001MW/kW
Unit conversion
Converts LHV in GJ/t (= MJ/kg) to MWh/t.
Market range Not applicable.
3.6GJ/MWh
Unit conversion
EUR to million EUR.
Market range Not applicable.
1000000EUR/MEUR
Unit conversion
Reference case 1: hot water boiler without flue-gas condensation (DEA 09a, 2020 lower).
Market range Not applicable.
1
Selector code
Reference case 2: low-pressure steam boiler (ADEME industrial boiler).
Market range Not applicable.
2
Selector code
Net calorific value of oven-dry wood, the starting point of the as-received LHV formula. The same table prints a net CV as received of 10.003 MJ/kg at 40 % moisture, which the formula reproduces.
Market range No independent range cited.
18.3MJ/kg
CHPQA GN29 p. 5
Each kg of water carried in the fuel takes 2.442 MJ to evaporate; this heat leaves with the flue gas in a boiler without condensation, so it is subtracted from the LHV.
Market range Not applicable (physical constant).
2.442MJ/kg
CHPQA GN29 p. 4
Annual net (LHV) efficiency of a wood-chip hot water boiler without flue-gas condensation. The DEA central value (1.14) includes condensation at a 40 C district-heating return; it does not apply to industrial duty and DEA says condensation is not used below 1-2 MW of input.
Market range DEA 2020: 0.89 (lower, no condensation) to 1.14 (central, with condensation).
0.89ratio
Reference case 1
Annual efficiency of an industrial biomass boiler raising low-pressure steam. Steam returns no low-temperature water to condense the flue gas against, hence a lower figure than hot water.
Market range No independent range cited.
0.85ratio
Reference case 2
Electricity for fuel conveyors, fans, pumps and flue-gas cleaning, per MWh of heat delivered. Rounded to 0.022.
Market range No independent range cited.
0.022MWh/MWh
DEA 09a small
Anchor of the scale law: installed total investment per kW of heat at the DEA small-plant size. It is an installed figure (equipment + installation), not a boiler purchase price.
Market range DEA note J: small HOP 0.6-1.1 MEUR/MW_th; ADEME 2016: 610-1,100 EUR/kW by size band.
733.7EUR/kW
DEA 09a small, 2020
Size at which the 733.7 EUR/kW anchor is quoted; the scale law is centred on it.
Market range Not applicable.
6840kW
DEA 09a small
Capacity exponent of the total installed cost. It is derived from DEA's own size sheets, not printed as such, and extrapolated below 6.84 MW (most of the slider). Counter-check against ADEME's independent size bands: the law gives 1,079-1,245 EUR/kW at 0.7-0.3 MW (ADEME <1 MW: 1,100), 903 EUR/kW at 2 MW (ADEME 1-3 MW: 940) and 612 EUR/kW at 20 MW (ADEME >3 MW: 610). ADEME is in 2014 money and DEA in 2020 EUR, so the agreement is qualitative.
Market range DEA small-medium -0.169, medium-large -0.155 on the specific cost (capacity exponent 0.83-0.85).
0.831
Scale law exponent
Second DEA anchor; with the small sheet it fixes the exponent, recomputed in the model as a check.
Market range Not applicable.
521.1EUR/kW
DEA 09a medium
Size of the medium DEA anchor.
Market range Not applicable.
51640kW
DEA 09a medium
Equipment part of the DEA total; used only to split the installed CAPEX for display.
Market range Not applicable.
425.3EUR/kW
DEA 09a small
Installation part of the DEA total; used only for the split.
Market range Not applicable.
308.4EUR/kW
DEA 09a small
Independent counter-check of the scale law below 1 MW. ADEME 2016 edition, costs in 2014 terms: compared qualitatively with the 2020 EUR DEA law.
Market range
1100EUR/kW
ADEME 2016 p. 32
Counter-check of the scale law between 1 and 3 MW (2014 terms, qualitative).
Market range
940EUR/kW
ADEME 2016 p. 32
Counter-check of the scale law above 3 MW (2014 terms, qualitative).
Market range
610EUR/kW
ADEME 2016 p. 32
Lower size-band limit of the ADEME table.
Market range Not applicable.
1000kW
ADEME 2016 p. 32
Upper size-band limit of the ADEME table.
Market range Not applicable.
3000kW
ADEME 2016 p. 32
Fixed operation and maintenance per MW of heat capacity and year (staff, insurance, planned maintenance). Rounded to 34,560.
Market range No independent range cited.
34560EUR/MW/year
DEA 09a small
Variable O&M per MWh of heat, excluding fuel and electricity. DEA states it already includes the disposal of residues (ash), so the separate ash disposal input defaults to 0.
Market range No independent range cited.
1.27EUR/MWh
DEA 09a small
Physical service life of the plant, exported to project mode as the asset lifetime (the replacement calendar), and used for a cross-check LCOH.
Market range
25years
DEA 09a small
Lower limit of the lifetime input.
Market range
20years
DEA 09a small
Upper limit of the lifetime input.
Market range
35years
DEA 09a small
Typical full-load hours of an industrial boiler below 1 MW, used for the cross-check LCOH at typical duty.
Market range
3000h/year
ADEME 2016 p. 32
Typical full-load hours between 1 and 3 MW; also the default of the hours input.
Market range
4000h/year
ADEME 2016 p. 32
Typical full-load hours above 3 MW.
Market range
5000h/year
ADEME 2016 p. 32
Lower discount rate of the ADEME sensitivity, used for a cross-check LCOH.
Market range
5%
ADEME 2016 p. 32
Upper discount rate of the ADEME sensitivity, used for a cross-check LCOH.
Market range
10%
ADEME 2016 p. 32
Default wood-chip price per MWh LHV, and with the per-tonne price it gives the energy content C.A.R.M.E.N. assumes (a check of the LHV formula). It is a German delivered price including 7 % VAT; an industrial buyer recovering VAT pays about 7 % less.
Market range No independent range cited.
32.4EUR/MWh
C.A.R.M.E.N. 2025
Per-tonne price of the same chips; divided by the per-MWh price it gives 3.10 MWh/t, the energy content C.A.R.M.E.N. uses at 35 % moisture.
Market range No independent range cited.
100.45EUR/t
C.A.R.M.E.N. 2025
Moisture content of the reference price, used to compare the LHV formula with C.A.R.M.E.N.'s implied energy content.
Market range Not applicable.
35%
C.A.R.M.E.N. 2025
Lower end of the moisture measured at Danish plants; below it the page flags drier fuel than the DEA data.
Market range
25%
DEA ch. 09 p. 87
Upper end of the measured moisture; also the slider maximum.
Market range
55%
DEA ch. 09 p. 87
Above 60 % moisture the model refuses the point (invalid input): DEA does not report combustion beyond it.
Market range Not applicable.
60%
DEA ch. 09 p. 86
Commercial ceiling on ash; above it the page flags fuel outside the DEA purchase specification (bark, residues).
Market range FAO / CEN/TS 14961: forest residues 1-4 % dry.
2%
DEA ch. 09 p. 87
Numerical guard on the scale law. It never binds inside the slider range (checked at both ends).
Market range Not applicable.
400EUR/kW
Guard
Numerical guard on the scale law. It never binds inside the slider range (checked at both ends).
Market range Not applicable.
1500EUR/kW
Guard
Published as-received LHV at 40 % moisture; the CHPQA formula gives 10.0 GJ/t (3 % lower).
Market range Not applicable.
10.3GJ/t
DEA Table 3 p. 73
Published as-received LHV at 50 % moisture; the CHPQA formula gives 7.93 GJ/t (2 % lower).
Market range Not applicable.
8.1GJ/t
DEA Table 3 p. 73
Low end of ADEME's industrial biomass heat cost (large plants, 2014 terms, 5-10 % rate). Different money year and fuel price from the model: a qualitative reference, not a position test.
Market range
46EUR/MWh
ADEME 2016 p. 31
High end of ADEME's industrial biomass heat cost (small plants, 2014 terms). Qualitative reference: the 2025 wood-chip price used by default is higher than ADEME's 2014 fuel cost.
Market range
79EUR/MWh
ADEME 2018 p. 2
Default of the ash content input.
Market range
2%
FAO Table 10 p. 11
Typical ash of broad-leaf residues, for users of hardwood chips.
Market range
1.5%
FAO Table 10 p. 11
Default price of the auxiliary electricity.
Market range
121.7EUR/MWh
Eurostat 2025-S2
LCOH = (installed CAPEX x CRF + fixed O&M + variable O&M + auxiliary electricity + fuel + optional ash disposal) / heat delivered. Fuel is bought per MWh LHV, so the moisture content changes the tonnage, not the fuel cost per MWh of heat.
Market range Not applicable.
—
Method
The CAPEX is installed (equipment and installation, two days of fuel storage), not a bare boiler purchase price and not an all-in financed total. It is exported to project mode with battery_limit = installed, so the project adds only its working layer and contingency. A catalogue boiler price (ex works) must not be entered as the Customized value without adding installation.
Market range Not applicable.
—
CAPEX boundary
Capital and O&M are DEA 2020 EUR, not escalated to 2025; fuel and electricity are 2025 prices. All are held constant over the life and discounted at a real rate. The un-escalated CAPEX and O&M are therefore on the low side in 2025 money.
Market range Not applicable.
—
Money convention
Over the full input box the LCOH spans about 35-155 EUR/MWh, the CAPEX 0.37-12.2 MEUR, the heat 600-140,000 MWh/year, the wood 170-86,000 t/year and the ash 0.7-1,550 t/year. Below 6.84 MW the CAPEX is an extrapolation of the DEA law, counter-checked against ADEME's size bands.
Market range Not applicable.
—
Validity domain
Inlet: wood chips as received (t/year) and auxiliary electricity; outlet: heat as hot water or low-pressure steam (MWh/year). The steam can feed a back-pressure turbine; the chips can come from a chipping or pellet plant. The model does not size steam pressure, flue-gas cleaning beyond DEA's scope, or a backup boiler.
Market range Not applicable.
—
Scope

Industrial wood-chip biomass boiler (hot water or steam) - levelised cost of heat

Mass and energy balance

CAPEX

Included

Not included

Added at project level

Project figures

Levelised cost of heat

Benchmarks

Specific installed CAPEX, EUR/kW

Wood LHV as received, GJ/t

Levelised cost of heat, EUR/MWh

All results

Levelised cost of heat

Wood fuel and ash

Capital and O&M

Heat and energy balance

Sensitivities

Sources

About

Model

User inputs · 12

Constants · 47

Intermediate calcs · 2

Exposed outputs · 62

Assumptions