The planning tool for district energy systems
Economic parameters for the design of energy systems
For the planning and optimization of energy systems, costs are a central indicator. The net present value is often used to assess the overall costs and to compare different systems. To determine the net present value, data is required on the investment costs, maintenance costs and lifetimes of the technologies.
Investment costs of energy system technologies
The following table lists the investment costs for different technologies. It should be noted that investment costs cannot be quantified in general terms, as they depend heavily on the size of the plant and other influencing factors. The values in the table should therefore only be seen as a rough guide.
Table 1: Investment costs
| Technology | Investment cost |
|---|---|
| Combined heat and power | 1200 €/kWel |
| Boiler | 120 €/kWth |
| Electric heater/boiler | 80 €/kWth |
| Absorption chiller | 750 €/kWth |
| Compression chiller | 1000 €/kWth |
| Electrolyzer | 2500 €/kWel |
| Heat/cold storage | 3€/l to 35 €/m³ (strongly size-dependent) |
| Battery | 800 €/kWh |
| Hydrogen storage | 750 €/kWh |
| Photovoltaics | 900 €/kWp |
| Wind power | 1000 €/kWel |
| Hydropower | 1000 €/kWel |
| Fuel cell | 3000 €/kWel |
| Solar thermal collectors | 400 €/m² |
| Heat pump | 1000 €/kWel, 350 €/kWth |
| Geothermal probes | 1000 €/kWth (thermal extraction rate) |
Maintenance costs of energy system technologies
Table 2: Annual maintenance costs (share of investment)
| Technology | Maintenance costs | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Combined heat and power | 8 % | VDI 2067 |
| Boiler | 3 % | VDI 2067 |
| Electric heater/boiler | 3 % | VDI 2067 |
| Absorption chiller | 3 % | VDI 2067 |
| Compression chiller | 3,5 % | VDI 2067 |
| Electrolyzer | 6 % | |
| Heat/cold storage | 1 % | |
| Battery | 1 % | |
| Hydrogen storage | 2 % | |
| Photovoltaics | 1 % | |
| Wind power | 1 % | |
| Hydropower | 1 % | |
| Fuel cell | 6 % | |
| Solar thermal collectors | 1,5 % | VDI 2067 |
| Heat pump | 2,5 % | VDI 2067 |
| Geothermal probes | 3 % | VDI 2067 |
In the techno-economic optimization of the nPro tool, the investment costs, maintenance costs, and lifetimes of the plants are included in the calculation.
Lifetime of energy system technologies
Table 3: Imputed service life
| Technology | Lifetime in years | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Combined heat and power | 15 | VDI 2067 |
| Boiler | 20 | VDI 2067 |
| Electric heater/boiler | 20 | VDI 2067 |
| Absorption chiller | 18 | VDI 2067 |
| Compression chiller | 15 | VDI 2067 |
| Electrolyzer | 15 | |
| Heat/cold storage | 20 | |
| Battery | 10 | |
| Hydrogen storage | 18 | |
| Photovoltaics | 20 | |
| Wind power | 20 | |
| Hydropower | 40 | |
| Fuel cell | 15 | |
| Solar thermal collectors | 18 - 20 | VDI 2067 |
| Heat pump | 18 - 20 | VDI 2067 |
| Geothermal probes | 50 | VDI 2067 |
Sources
- VDI 2067: Economic efficiency of building installations: Fundamentals and economic calculation, 2012.
- Danish Energy Agendy and Energinet: Technology Data: Generation of Electricity and District heating. March 2022.
- Institut Wohnen und Umwelt GmbH: Energetische Kenngrößen für Heizungsanlagen im Bestand. 2002.
- Institut für Energie- und Umwelttechnik e.V. (IUTA): Ableitung von Kostenfunktionen für Komponenten der rationellen Energienutzung, 2002.
- Forschungsstelle für Energiewirtschaft e.V.: Kostenanalyse Wärmespeicher bis 10.000 l Speichergröße, 2016.
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