Distributed Generation Energy Technology Capital Costs

The following charts indicate the range of recent capital cost estimates for distributed generation (DG) renewable energy technologies. The estimates are shown in dollars per installed kilowatts of generating capacity.

The charts provide a compilation of available national-level cost data from a variety of sources. Costs in your specific location will vary. Review the supporting documentation to understand the data used in these charts.

The green horizontal lines represent the range of costs.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) sponsored the distributed generation data used within these charts.

Capital Cost Utility Scale Distributed Generation	Operations & Maintenance Utility Scale Distributed Generation	Capacity Factor Utility Scale	LCOE Calculator

Chart showing average installation cost of distributed generation energy technologies. Solar PV shows $6,200 with a range +/- $1,200; Wind 1 to 19 kW shows $7,500 with a range +/- $2,300; Wind 20 to 100 kW shows $5,200 with a range +/- $1,800; Wind 100 to 1000 kW shows $2,500 with a range +/- $1,000; Biomass combustion heat and power shows $5,500 with a range +/- $2,000; biomass wood heat shows $1,000 with a range +/- $500.

Costs for Solar Water Heat (SWH) and Solar Vent Preheat (SVP)
	Mean Installed Cost ($/ft²)	Installed Cost Range ($/ft²)	O&M
SWH, flat plate and evacuated tube	$150	+/- $50	0.5 to 1.0% initial installed cost
SWH, plastic collector	$55	+/- $15	0.5 to 1.0% initial installed cost
SVP	$30	+/- $6	1 Watt/ft² of additional fan load

Data and Charts for Download:

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