Construction cost data for electric generators installed in 2014
Release date: January 23, 2017 |
Next release date: February 2017
CORRECTION
Presented below are graphs and tables of the cost data for generators installed in 2014 based on data collected by the 2014 Annual Electric Generator Report, Form EIA-860. The cost data for certain generation technologies were omitted to avoid disclosure of individual company data.
EIA expects to publish construction cost data for generators installed in 2015 in February 2017. 2014 Tables
Previous years:
| Year |
Format |
| 2013 |
HTML |
By selected sources and type: natural gas by technology | natural gas combined-cycle by prime mover
solar PV by Census region | solar PV by PV panel type and tracking system | wind generators by Census region | wind generators by plant size
Generators installed in 2014 by major energy source
| All plants by major energy source |
capacity-weighted average cost ($/kW) |
| natural gas |
1,017 |
| wind |
1,754 |
| solar PV |
3,492 |
| biomass |
1,987 |
| hydro |
1,221 |
| petroleum liquids |
1,226 |
| Total capacity (MW) |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| natural gas |
5,228 |
4,039 |
| wind |
4,684 |
2 |
| solar PV |
2,296 |
760 |
| biomass |
127 |
116 |
| hydro |
29 |
149 |
| petroleum liquids |
11 |
51 |
| Number of plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| natural gas |
12 |
15 |
| wind |
46 |
1 |
| solar PV |
258 |
7 |
| biomass |
19 |
12 |
| hydro |
5 |
3 |
| petroleum liquids |
2 |
10 |
| All plants by major energy source |
total cost (billion $) |
| natural gas |
9.4 |
| wind |
8.2 |
| solar PV |
10.7 |
| biomass |
0.5 |
| hydro |
0.22 |
| petroleum liquids |
0.08 |
| Number of generators by major energy source |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| natural gas |
50 |
35 |
| wind |
49 |
1 |
| solar PV |
311 |
18 |
| biomass |
40 |
26 |
| hydro |
11 |
5 |
| petroleum liquids |
5 |
23 |
| Average new plants capacity or additional capacity at existing plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| natural gas |
436 |
269 |
| wind |
102 |
2 |
| solar PV |
9 |
109 |
| biomass |
7 |
10 |
| hydro |
6 |
50 |
| petroleum liquids |
6 |
5 |
Generators installed in 2014 by prime mover
↓ notes
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| Capacity-weighted average cost per kilowatt of installed namepate capacity ($/kW) |
capacity weighted-average cost ($/kW) |
| steam turbine |
1,790 |
| combustion turbine |
1,103 |
| combustion turbine(as part of combined cycle) |
1,066 |
| steam turbine(as part of combined cycle) |
901 |
| internal combustion engine |
1,446 |
| hydroelectric turbine |
1,221 |
| onshore wind turbine |
1,754 |
| photovoltaic |
3,492 |
| Total included capacity(MW) |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| steam turbine |
52 |
81 |
| combustion turbine |
152 |
365 |
| combustion turbine(as part of combined cycle) |
2,822 |
2,364 |
| steam turbine(as part of combined cycle) |
1,951 |
1,276 |
| internal combustion engine |
390 |
121 |
| hydroelectric turbine |
29 |
149 |
| onshore wind turbine |
4,684 |
2 |
| photovoltaic |
2,296 |
760 |
| number of generators |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| steam turbine |
2 |
2 |
| combustion turbine |
13 |
9 |
| combustion turbine(as part of combined cycle) |
13 |
13 |
| steam turbine(as part of combined cycle) |
6 |
5 |
| internal combustion engine |
61 |
55 |
| hydroelectric turbine |
11 |
5 |
| onshore wind turbine |
49 |
1 |
| photovoltaic |
311 |
18 |
| Average generator capacity at new or existing plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| steam turbine |
26 |
40 |
| combustion turbine |
12 |
41 |
| combustion turbine(as part of combined cycle) |
217 |
182 |
| steam turbine(as part of combined cycle) |
325 |
255 |
| internal combustion engine |
6 |
2 |
| hydroelectric turbine |
3 |
30 |
| onshore wind turbine |
96 |
2 |
| photovoltaic |
7 |
42 |
| Total construction cost |
total cost (billion $) |
| steam turbine |
0.2 |
| combustion turbine |
0.6 |
| combustion turbine(as part of combined cycle) |
5.5 |
| steam turbine(as part of combined cycle) |
2.9 |
| internal combustion engine |
0.7 |
| hydroelectric turbine |
0.2 |
| onshore wind turbine |
8.2 |
| photovoltaic |
10.7 |
Generators installed in 2014 by Census region
↓ notes
↑ top
| Census regions |
capacity-weighted average cost ($/kW) |
| South |
1,106 |
| West |
2,901 |
| Midwest |
1,671 |
| Northeast |
1,410 |
| Total included capacity |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| South |
6,830 |
3,093 |
| West |
2,902 |
1,753 |
| Midwest |
1,656 |
272 |
| Northeast |
987 |
0 |
| Number of plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| South |
101 |
12 |
| West |
133 |
21 |
| Midwest |
37 |
14 |
| Northeast |
71 |
0 |
| Number of generators |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| South |
138 |
28 |
| West |
193 |
50 |
| Midwest |
58 |
30 |
| Northeast |
77 |
0 |
| Average new plant or additional capacity at existing plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| South |
68 |
258 |
| West |
22 |
83 |
| Midwest |
45 |
19 |
| Northeast |
14 |
0 |
| Census region |
total cost (billion $) |
| South |
11.0 |
| West |
13.5 |
| Midwest |
3.2 |
| Northeast |
1.4 |
Natural gas generators installed in 2014 by technology
↓ notes
↑ top
| Natural gas plants by type |
capacity-weighted average cost ($/kW) |
| combined cycle |
1,005 |
| combustion turbine |
990 |
| internal combustion engine |
1,336 |
| Total included capacity (MW) |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| combined cycle |
4,813 |
3,640 |
| combustion turbine |
89 |
365 |
| internal combustion engine |
327 |
34 |
| Number of plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| combined cycle |
6 |
7 |
| combustion turbine |
4 |
7 |
| internal combustion engine |
2 |
2 |
| Number of generators |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| combined cycle |
19 |
18 |
| combustion turbine |
8 |
9 |
| internal combustion engine |
23 |
8 |
| Average new plants capacity or additional capacity at existing plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| combined cycle |
802 |
520 |
| combustion turbine |
22 |
52 |
| internal combustion engine |
163 |
17 |
| Total construction cost |
total cost (billion $) |
| combined cycle |
8.5 |
| combustion turbine |
0.5 |
| internal combustion engine |
0.5 |
Natural gas generators installed in 2014 at combined-cycle plants by prime mover
| Natural gas combined cycle plants by component |
capacity-weighted average cost ($/kW) |
| combustion turbine |
1,066 |
| steam turbine |
901 |
| Total capacity |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| combustion turbine |
2,822 |
2,364 |
| steam turbine |
1,951 |
1,276 |
| Number of generators |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| combustion turbine |
13 |
13 |
| steam turbine |
6 |
5 |
| Average new plant or additional capacity at existing plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| combustion turbine |
217 |
182 |
| steam turbine |
325 |
255 |
| Natural gas generators at combined-cycle plants by prime mover |
total cost (billion $) |
| combustion turbine |
5.5 |
| steam turbine |
2.9 |
↓ notes
↑ top
| Solar PV plants by tracking system |
capacity-weighted average cost ($/kW) |
| solid biomass |
3,573 |
| gaseous biomass |
3,217 |
| Total included capacity |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| solid biomass |
501 |
122 |
| gaseous biomass |
129 |
47 |
| Number of plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| solid biomass |
13 |
2 |
| gaseous biomass |
34 |
14 |
| Number of generators |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| solid biomass |
13 |
2 |
| gaseous biomass |
66 |
24 |
| Average new plant or additional capacity at existing plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| solid biomass |
39 |
61 |
| gaseous biomass |
4 |
3 |
| Solar PV plants by tracking system |
total cost (billion $) |
| solid biomass |
2.2 |
| gaseous biomass |
0.6 |
Solar PV generators installed in 2014 by Census region
↓ notes
↑ top
| Census regions |
capacity-weighted average cost ($/kW) |
| West |
3,721 |
| South |
2,217 |
| Northeast |
3,626 |
| Midwest |
2,875 |
| Total included capacity |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| West |
1,618 |
760 |
| South |
424 |
0 |
| Northeast |
203 |
0 |
| Midwest |
51 |
0 |
| Number of plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| West |
103 |
7 |
| South |
74 |
0 |
| Northeast |
67 |
0 |
| Midwest |
14 |
0 |
| Number of generators |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| West |
136 |
18 |
| South |
94 |
0 |
| Northeast |
67 |
0 |
| Midwest |
14 |
0 |
| Average new plant or additional capacity at existing plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| West |
16 |
109 |
| South |
6 |
0 |
| Northeast |
3 |
0 |
| Midwest |
4 |
0 |
| Region |
total cost (billion $) |
| West |
8.8 |
| South |
0.94 |
| Northeast |
0.74 |
| Midwest |
0.15 |
Solar PV generators installed in 2014 by PV panel type and tracking system
↓ notes
↑ top
| Solar PV plants by tracking system |
capacity-weighted average cost ($/kW) |
| ,crystalline silicon, fixed tilt |
2,837 |
| crystalline silicon, axis-based tracking |
3,608 |
| thin-film CdTe, all types |
3,814 |
| Total included capacity |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| crystalline silicon, fixed tilt |
776 |
8 |
| crystalline silicon, axis-based tracking |
1,014 |
46 |
| thin-film CdTe, all types |
506 |
706 |
| Number of plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| crystalline silicon, fixed tilt |
170 |
1 |
| crystalline silicon, axis-based tracking |
64 |
1 |
| thin-film CdTe, all types |
24 |
5 |
| Number of generators |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| crystalline silicon, fixed tilt |
213 |
1 |
| crystalline silicon, axis-based tracking |
74 |
2 |
| thin-film CdTe, all types |
24 |
15 |
| Average new plant or additional capacity at existing plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| crystalline silicon, fixed tilt |
5 |
8 |
| crystalline silicon, axis-based tracking |
16 |
46 |
| thin-film CdTe, all types |
21 |
141 |
| Solar PV plants by tracking system |
total cost (billion $) |
| crystalline silicon, fixed tilt |
2.2 |
| crystalline silicon, axis-based tracking |
3.8 |
| thin-film CdTe, all types |
4.6 |
Wind generators installed in 2014 by Census region
↓ notes
↑ top
| Census region |
capacity-weighted average cost ($/kW) |
| South |
1,650 |
| Midwest and Northeast |
1,825 |
| West |
1,935 |
| Total included capacity |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| South |
2,415 |
0 |
| Midwest and Northeast |
1,452 |
0 |
| West |
817 |
2 |
| Number of plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| South |
15 |
0 |
| Midwest and Northeast |
16 |
0 |
| West |
15 |
1 |
| Number of generators |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| South |
15 |
0 |
| Midwest and Northeast |
18 |
0 |
| West |
16 |
1 |
| Average new plant or additional capacity at existing plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| South |
161 |
0 |
| Midwest and Northeast |
91 |
0 |
| West |
54 |
2 |
| Census region |
total cost (billion $) |
| South |
4.0 |
| Midwest and Northeast |
2.6 |
| West |
1.6 |
Wind generators installed in 2014 by plant size
↓ notes
↑ top
| Plant size |
capacity-weighted average cost ($/kW) |
| 1-25 MW |
2,113 |
| 25-100 MW |
1,919 |
| 100-200 MW |
1,771 |
| 200-300 MW |
1,654 |
| Total included capacity |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| 1-25 MW |
132 |
2 |
| 25-100 MW |
609 |
0 |
| 100-200 MW |
2,100 |
0 |
| 200-300 MW |
1,843 |
0 |
| Number of plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| 1-25 MW |
16 |
1 |
| 25-100 MW |
9 |
0 |
| 100-200 MW |
13 |
0 |
| 200-300 MW |
8 |
0 |
| Number of generators |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| 1-25 MW |
17 |
1 |
| 25-100 MW |
10 |
0 |
| 100-200 MW |
14 |
0 |
| 200-300 MW |
8 |
0 |
| Average new plant or additional capacity at existing plants |
at new plants |
at existing plants |
| 1-25 MW |
8 |
2 |
| 25-100 MW |
68 |
0 |
| 100-200 MW |
162 |
0 |
| 200-300 MW |
230 |
0 |
| Plant size |
total cost (billion $) |
| 1-25 MW |
0.3 |
| 25-100 MW |
1.2 |
| 100-200 MW |
3.7 |
| 200-300 MW |
3.0 |
Notes:
- Data includes facilities with a total generator nameplate capacity of 1 megawatt (MW) or more. Solar data does not include distributed generation capacity.
- Government grants, tax benefits, or other incentives are excluded from these costs.
- Solar photovoltaic (PV) data are based on reported alternating current (AC) capacity and may differ from other cost and capacity estimates that use direct current (DC) ratings of PV panels.
- Petroleum liquids includes distillate fuel oil, jet fuel, kerosene, residual fuel oil, and waste oil.
- Some generation technologies were excluded from this analysis to avoid disclosure of individual company data.
- Average construction cost is based on the nameplate capacity weighted average cost per kilowatt of installed nameplate capacity.
- Total capacity is the sum of the nameplate capacity of generators included in each group.
- Average new capacity is based on the nameplate capacity of new plants or new additions of nameplate capacity to existing plants. New plants did not previously have operable units and are typically recently constructed. Existing plants have at least one previously operable generator and are not newly constructed.
- Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-860, Annual Electric Generator Report
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