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Distributed Generation Energy Technology Operations and Maintenance Costs

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The following charts indicate recent operations and maintenance (O&M) cost estimates for distributed generation (DG) renewable energy technologies.

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 red horizontal lines represent the first standard deviation of the mean.

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

If you are seeking utility-scale technology operations and maintenance estimates, please visit the Transparent Cost Database website for NREL's information regarding vehicles, biofuels, and electricity generation.

Capital Cost
(July 2012 Update)
 Operations & Maintenance
(July 2012 Update)
 Utility-Scale Capacity Factors LCOE Calculator
Chart showing average fixed operations and maintenance cost of distributed generation energy technologies.
Variable O&M Costs
 Variable O&M
($/kWh)		 Variable O&M
Std. Dev.
(+/- $/kWh)
Biomass Combustion Combined Heat and Power* $0.07 $0.02
*Unit cost is per unit kWh of the electrical generator, not the boiler heat capacity.

Costs for Solar Water Heat (SWH) and Solar Vent Preheat (SVP)
  O&M
SWH, flat plate and evacuated tube 0.5 to 1.0% initial installed cost
SWH, plastic collector 0.5 to 1.0% initial installed cost
SVP 1 Watt/ft2 fan power


Data and Charts for Download:

  1. Distributed Generation Renewable Energy Estimate of Costs and Useful Life (July 2012)
  2. Distributed Generation Renewable Energy Estimate of Costs and Useful Life (June 2011)