Renewable Energy Project Prefeasibility
Renewable Energy Project Prefeasibility
STUDIES GUIDELINES
Methodology overview on how to
conduct a prefeasibility assessment of
renewable power generation technologies
PROJ EC TS MAT URES OV ER FOU R PH A S ES ; F RO M I D EA ,
CO NCEPT A ND B U SI NESS D E VELOPMENT TO E XECUTI ON
  The idea development phase                      The concept development                           The business development                     The project execution phase
  consists of brainstorming and                   phase usually consists of two                     phase usually consists of two                entails construction and
  idea generation activities to                   stages and related studies:                       stages                                       installation of the plant, plus any
  give the project a more                         i. a prefeasibility study (PFS)                   i. a validation stage                        other civil work needed for the
  rounded shape.                                  ii. a feasibility study (FS).                     ii. a preparation stage                      project operations.
  The main purpose of this                        The PSF is a rougher version of                   The best feasible idea is
  phase is to flesh out selected                  a FS. The purpose of a PFS is to                  validated with detailed
  business ideas and structure                    discard unattractive ideas and                    analyses of design and
  the rest of the project.                        choose the best among many.                       operations. Sourcing of
                                                                                                    permits and licenses follows.
The number of possible projects shrinks during the project development phase, as different options are assessed. One (or a subset) of initial ideas will go to execution.
Source: AACE International recommended practices; Ea Energy Analyses and Viegand Maagoe analysis.                                                                                      2
T H E CONCEPT DE VELOPMENT PH A S E U S UALLY CO NS I STS
O F A P R E FEASI BI LI TY ST UDY A ND A F EA SI BI LI TY ST UDY
                                The concept development phase usually consists of two stages and related studies; a prefeasibility stage
                                and study (PFS) and a feasibility stage and study (FS).
Source: AACE International recommended practices; Ea Energy Analyses and Viegand Maagoe analysis.                                           3
PR E FEA SI BI LI TY ST UDI ES A R E S C R EENI NGS T H AT
I DENTI FY T H E B EST F EASI BLE OPT I ON( S ) O U T O F A S E T
                Prefeasibility
                study
    A prefeasibility study is rough screening aiming at identifying the most promising idea(s) and discard the unattractive options. This reduces the number of
    options that are chosen to proceed with a more detailed feasibility study and eventually with business development, ultimately saving time and money. Often, the
    pre-feasibility study returns only one most promising option.
    The assessment of the business idea has different focuses: technical, regulatory, environmental, economic and financial aspects are analysed. A pre-feasibility
    study is a preliminary systematic assessment of all critical elements of the project – from technologies and costs to environmental and social impacts.
    Usually, a feasibility study concerns the analysis of an individual project only, normally with well-defined boundaries. The whole energy system is usually assumed
    as given and thus related data can be used as input to the analysis.
1                                                                                                     6
                                     Scope of the study, investment context, case
    Background & scope               descriptions, power system and stakeholder
                                                                                                          Business case
                                     overview.
                                                                                                          Economic attractiveness for the investor (NPV, IRR..), robustness
2                                                                                                         of the case (sensitivity analyses). Rough financial analysis.
                                     Revenue sources, markets, support schemes or
     Revenue streams                 tariffs, other important regulatory aspects
                                                                                                      7
3
                                     Sourcing of fuel and fuel price (e.g. biomass),                      Environmental & social aspects
    Resource evaluation              assessment of natural resources and expected
                                     energy yield                                                         Evaluation of the potential impacts on the area’s environment
                                                                                                          and other social implications.
4
    Financial & technical            Estimation of CAPEX, OPEX,                                       8
         key figures                 technical parameters (efficiency, lifetime)
                                                                                                          Risk assessment
5                                                                                                         Assessment of project risks and potential mitigation factors.
       Project size &                Grid and system perspective, physical planning
        restrictions                 issues, space requirements, other relevant barriers
                            6
  1        BACKGROUND & SCOPE                                                                                                                                                     Background &
                                                                                                                                                                                     scope
                                                                                                                                                                                     Revenue
       The outset of a prefeasibility study should introduce the case study and shed light on the project context, touching on:                                                      streams
                                                                                                                                                                                     Resource
                                                                                                                                                                                    evaluation
                                                                                                                                                                                Environmental &
                                                                                                                                                                                 social aspects
                                                                                                                                                                                       Risk
                                                                                                                                                                                   assessment
                     Political context                                    Regulation                                         Stakeholders
         RE and other policy targets, investment               Key regulation in place and how it                  System operators, off-takers,
              landscape, political stability                          affects the project                      governmental bodies, local population,
                                                                                                                      environmental groups
                                                                                                                                                             To the Business Case
                                                                                                                                                                                              Revenue
      One of the most important aspects of a prefeasibility study is understanding the source of revenue for the project. The main ones are:                                                  streams
                                                                                                                                                                                              Resource
       Merchant project – power markets                                Vertically integrated system                                  Existing Subsidy Schemes                                evaluation
      Revenues can also be stacked, i.e., they can be sourced from different support schemes, agreements and/or markets.                                                                  Environmental &
                                                                                                                                                                                           social aspects
                                                                                                                                                                                                Risk
       Other factors to consider include:                                                                                                                                                   assessment
       Currency denomination (local vs international), taxation level, inflation index, possible local content requirements,
       other potential revenue stream (e.g. sale of process heat, residues, by-products)
       Evaluation of future power demand and/or power prices                                                                                                            → Quantified revenue sources
       It is important to assess whether the revenue stream is stable over the years. This would involve an estimation of, for instance, the    Power price               for the entire project lifetime
                                                                                                                                                (USD/kWh)
       development in future power prices (if in a power market context) or the risk of a stagnation of power demand and related risk of
       overcapacity in the system, which could reduce the utilization of the power plant under investigation.                                                           → Stability of revenue sources
                                                                                                                                                                          over time to assess
                                                                                                                                                 Demand                   robustness of the business
       Both yearly demand projections and load profiles are key aspects to be considered in relation to power demand, especially in              (TWh)                    case (including outages,
       non-hedged contexts. For merchant projects, the average power price, as well as its hourly distribution, should be considered.                                     maintenance needs, demand
       Official projections by system operators can be used and uncertainities assessed in relation to the project size.                                      year
                                                                                                                                                                          projections etc.)
                                                                                                                                                             Revenue
                                                                                                                                                             streams
       RE mapping                                                                                                                                            Resource
       Tools like GIS are good for detailed mapping of wind/solar resource, hydro catchments, as well as forestry/biomass resource.                         evaluation
                                                                                                                                                               Risk
                                                                                                                                                           assessment
Source: Ea Energy Analyses; Global Solar Atlas; Global Wind Atlas; Ea Energy Analyses and Viegand Maagoe analysis.                                                         9
  3        RESOURCE EVALUATION                                                                                                                                                     Background &
                                                                                                                                                                                      scope
                                                                                                                                                                                      Revenue
                                                                                                                                                                                      streams
                      Technology                                                                                                                                                      Resource
 Evaluation                                                                                                                                                                          evaluation
 parameter                         Wind power                   Solar PV plant                   Bioenergy power              Hydro power              Geothermal power
                                                                                                                                                                                Financial & technical
                                                                                                                                                                                     key figures
 Power generation                  Wind                         Sun                              Organic waste from           Water                    Thermal energy within
 source/fuel                                                                                     plants and animals                                                                Project size &
                                                                                                                                                       Earth’s crust                restrictions
                                                                                                                                                                                      Business
 Potential for                     Distribution of wind         Global Horizontal                Feedstock (fuel)             Falling water having     Well conditions                  case
 power generation                  speeds at site,              Irradiation at site              availability, including      certain head and flow    (temperature and          Environmental &
 dependency                        preferably over              (GHI), preferably over           quality of feedstock         rate, preferably over    material makeup of         social aspects
                                   multiple years               multiple years                                                multiple years           crust)
                                                                                                                                                                                        Risk
                                                                                                                                                                                    assessment
 Annual power                      Wind speed                   Projections for solar            Plant efficiency and         Turbine efficiency,      Plant efficiency and
 generation                        distribution combined        irradiation combined             availability (outages,       water inflow and         availability (outages,
                                   with power curve             with technical                   maintenance,                 availability (outages,   maintenance etc.)
                                                                conditions                       feedstock etc.)              maintenance, wet/dry
                                                                                                                              years), environmental
                                                                                                                              restrictions
Source: NEC, BPPT Engineering, Ea Energy Analyses and Danish Energy Agency; Ea Energy Analyses and Viegand Maagoe analysis.                                                                         10
  3        RESOURCE EVALUATION                                                                                                                Background &
                                                                                                                                                 scope
                                                                                                                                                 Revenue
                                                                                                                                                 streams
                Distribution (%) of wind speeds (m/s)        Wind speed (m/s) turbine power             Annual power generation (MWh)
                                                                                                                                                 Resource
                at location                                  (MW) curve                                                                         evaluation
 Wind
                                                                                                                                           Financial & technical
 power                                                                                                                                          key figures
                                                                                                                                                 Business
                                                                                                             power generation                      case
                                                                                                                                                                         Revenue
                                                                                                                                                                         streams
   Technology figures                                                          Financial figures                                                                         Resource
                                                                                                                                                                        evaluation
   •   Typical capacity of power plants (MW)                                   •   Capital cost (CAPEX and DEVEX) (USD/MW)                                         Financial & technical
   •   Technical lifetime (years)                                              •   Operation and maintenance cost (OPEX) (USD/MW, USD/MWh)                              key figures
   •   Plant availability, outages (%, days)                                   •   Weighted average cost of capital (WACC) (%)
                                                                                                                                                                      Project size &
   •   Efficiency (Condensing and CHP, where appropriate) (%)                  •   Corporate tax rate (%)                                                              restrictions
   •   Space requirement (m2/MW)                                               •   Depreciation rate and amortization approach, if relevant
   •   Capacity factor ranges (%)                                              •   Inflation rate (%)                                                                    Business
                                                                                                                                                                           case
   •   Other technical info (e.g., power curve for wind, performance ratio     •   Economic lifetime of project (years)
       for PV) relevant for the project purpose and expected operations                                                                                              Environmental &
                                                                                                                                                                      social aspects
                                                                                                                                                                           Risk
   Uncertainty                                                                                                                                                         assessment
   At the PFS stage of the project development, a large amount of parameters are characterized by a substnatial level of
   uncertainty. In the business case analysis, it is important to understand the impact of the change in key parameters (e.g.
   CAPEX, WACC, lifetime) on the economical feasibility of the project. It is therefore very important to include uncertainty
   ranges on as many figures as possible, to allow for detailed sensitivity analyses.                                                             To the Business Case
                                                                                                                                           Revenue
  Capital Expenditures (CAPEX)                                                                  CAPEX breakdown (%)                        streams
  In most energy projects, especially capital-intensive ones such as PV and                     DEVEX                                      Resource
                                                                                                                                          evaluation
  wind, CAPEX are the most important cost figure and thus are key to                            Construction
  determining the feasibility of the project. CAPEX includes also                                                                    Financial & technical
                                                                                                                                          key figures
  development expenditures (DEVEX) in this guide.                                               Soft costs
                                                                                                                                        Project size &
  To be considered when defining CAPEX:                                                        CAPEX                                     restrictions
  •   Consider cost changes overtime and installation date, especially for                     Rotor
      technologies whose costs evolve quickly like PV                                          Nacelle
                                                                                               Tower
  •   Consider distance to the grid and cost of connection, including
      evaluation of regulation on the matter (e.g., does the developer pay                     Land acquisition
      shallow or deep connection costs?)                                                       Logistics
                                                                                               Soft costs
  •   Estimate the uncertainty, which can be used to test the case
      robustness                                                                               CAPEX
Source: KPMG, Danish Embassy in Jakarta, Danish Energy Agency; Ea Energy Analyses and Viegand Maagoe analysis                                            13
  5        PROJECT SIZE & SITING: SYSTEM AND GRID                                                                                                                                              Background &
                                                                                                                                                                                                  scope
Each technology has a list of considerations for determining a first estimation of the optimal site and size of a project, which will be finally determined
in the FS.                                                                                                                                                                                        Revenue
                                                                                                                                                                                                  streams
                                                                                                                                                                                                  Resource
                                                                                                                                                                                                 evaluation
                          Wind power                    Solar PV plant                 Bioenergy power                 Hydro power                 Geothermal power                         Financial & technical
                                                                                                                                                                                                 key figures
                                                                                                                                                                                               Environmental
                                                                                                                                                                                                  aspects
   Location               Wind resource                 Space limitations,             Trade off for distance:         Water reservoirs or         Temperature of crust,
   considerations         distribution, space           shading between rows           capital cost (lower for         rivers, local water life,   risk of mudslides                                Risk
                                                                                                                                                                                                assessment
                          limitations, obstacles        and surface slope of           larger project) vs              environmental               during drilling
                          that can disrupt              the site                       transport cost (lower           restrictions on use of
                          airflow and visual                                           for small projects),            water
                          impact on landscape                                          alternative uses of
                                                                                       feedstock                                                                            To the Business Case
   Grid                   Non-dispatchable –            Non-dispatchable –             Dispatchable – plants           Dispatchable – rapid        Dispatchable – best       → Expected central estimate for
   integration            weather dependent,            weather dependent,             can be ramped up and            ramp rates and large        economical case as          project size
                          considerations on             considerations on              down, considerations            ramp ranges,                base load (flexibility
                                                                                                                                                                             → Range of potential project
                          security of supply and        security of supply and         on security of supply           considerations on           increases costs),           sizes for eventual sensitivity
                          limits of grid                limits of grid                                                 security of supply          considerations on           analysis
                          integration                   integration                                                                                security of supply
Source: NEC, BPPT Engineering, Ea Energy Analyses and Danish Energy Agency; Ea Energy Analyses and Viegand Maagoe analysis.                                                                                     14
  6       6BUSINESS CASE: INPUTS FOR BUSINESS CASE                                                                                                              Background &
                                                                                                                                                                   scope
                                                                                                                                                                   Revenue
  1                                     2                            3                              4                           5                                  streams
   Cost of capital, financial            assess robustness of the    of feedstock for biomass       Uncertainty ranges for as                                        Risk
   environment.                          business case (including    and biogas                     many figures as possible                                     assessment
                                         outages, maintenance
                                         needs, demand projections
                                         etc.)
   Input to Business case                Input to Business case      Input to Business case         Input to Business case      Input to Business case
   WACC                                  Revenue over time           Generation                     CAPEX and OPEX              Potential capacity
   CAPEX                                 Demand                      Feed stock price               WACC                        Land requirement
                                         Outage                      Potential capacity             Efficiency
                                                                                                    Lifetime
                                                                                                    Outage
                                                                                                    Land requirement
  Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) method                                                        Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) method                                                           Revenue
  • Cash flows in the earlier periods are weighted higher than cash                                                                                                                    streams
                                                                                                                                                                                       Business
                                                                                                                                      Years                                              case
                                                                                                                                                                                    Environmental
  The importance of the Cost of Capital                                                                                                                                                aspects
  • The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is an essential
                                                                                                                                                                                         Risk
    element for calculating the value of a project                                                                                                                                   assessment
  • The WACC is the rate that a company is expected to pay on
    average to all its security holders to finance its assets                                               Discounted CAPEX        Discounted Revenue         Discounted OPEX
  • For a project to be financially feasible its returns (on a project
    basis) must exceed the WACC
                                                                                           Nominal vs Real prices
                                                                Cost of                    • In economic language, real and nominal values represents two different
                                   Cost of
        WACC           =           Equity          +             Debt
                                                                (after tax)
                                                                                             ways of expressing monetary terms (i.e., units of currency).
Source: Technical University of Denmark; Ea Energy Analyses and Viegand Maagoe analysis.
                                                                                                                                                                                                     16
   6        BUSINESS CASE: EVALUATION                                                                                                                                   Background &
                                                                                                                                                                           scope
A business case can be evaluated based on various financial metrics                                                                                                        Revenue
                                                                                                                                                                           streams
  Key metrics for evaluation                                                               Sensitivity Analyses
                                                                                                                                                                           Resource
                                                                                                                                                                          evaluation
  When evaluating the economic feasibility of a project, the following indicators          • Often used to assess the robustness of the business case. Usually
  are relevant:                                                                              done on key parameters: CAPEX, fuel price, WACC.                        Financial & technical
                                                                                                 ▪ Also, important to consider technical assumptions (e.g., wind          key figures
  • Net Present Value (NPV) – shows what a project is worth to us today based                        production estimates)
                                                                                                                                                                        Project size &
    on discounted cash flows. Enables comparisons of projects with different                                                                                             restrictions
    timings and cash flow distributions over the project lifetime.                         • Not to be confused with scenario analyses!
                                                 𝑇                                                • In scenario analyses we create a certain picture of the future         Business
                                             𝐶𝐹𝑡                                                                                                                             case
                             𝑁𝑃𝑉 = −𝐶𝐹0 +                                                           (e.g., “Business as Usual”, “Green Scenario”)
                                            1+𝑟             𝑡
                                                 𝑡=1                                              • In sensitivity analyses we test the robustness of a business        Environmental
                                                                                                     case against one parameter while keeping all other                    aspects
  • Internal Rate of Return (IRR) – shows the annual effective compounded                            assumptions the same.
                                                                                                                                                                             Risk
    return rate of a project i.e. the annual return a project is expected to yield.                                                                                      assessment
    The discount rate yielding an NPV of 0.
                                            𝑇
                                                    𝐶𝐹𝑡
                             0 = −𝐶𝐹0 +                    𝑡
                                           𝑡=1
                                                  1 + 𝐼𝑅𝑅                                  Different approaches in business case evaluation
  • Payback Time (PBT) – shows the number of years required to recover an                  • Comparison of LCOE with potential tariff or PPA
    initial investment based on cumulative cash flows.
                                                                                           • Comparison of IRR with expected WACC or investor benchmark
  • Levelised Cost Of Energy (LCOE) – shows the average cost of a project over             • Evaluation of absolute value of NPV
    its lifetime, taking into account the cost of capital. Often used for comparing
    technologies and for tracking economic developments of technologies over               • Comparison of payback time to economic lifetime and investor
    time.                                                                                    preference or duration of PPA
Source: Technical University of Denmark; Ea Energy Analyses and Viegand Maagoe analysis.
                                                                                                                                                                                         17
      7     ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL ASPECTS                                                                                                                                               Background &
                                                                                                                                                                                            scope
Environmental and social impacts are an important part of feasibility study and prefeasibility study that are often overlooked due to a focus on the economics. This                        Revenue
                                                                                                                                                                                            streams
allows to hedge against serious problem, which might arise during the project implementation and operations. In a prefeasibility study, these issues should be
mapped as a minimum. The assessment can be based on current regulation, past experience (when relevant), and acceptance levels. Environmental and social                                    Resource
                                                                                                                                                                                           evaluation
considerations can also feed into the Risk Assessment.
                                                                                                                                                                         CO2          Financial & technical
  Key aspects to consider:                                                                 RE projects: avoided emissions                                               NOx PM             key figures
  •       Pollution of air, water and soil                                                 Often, when investing in RE projects, there are positive environmental externalities for
                                                                                                                                                                                         Project size &
                                                                                                                                                                                          restrictions
  •       Land use                                                                         example in terms of avoided PM, NOx, SOx, and CO2 emissions. It is relevant to quantify
  •       Visual impact, noise, odor                                                       this benefit of the projects.                                                                    Business
                                                                                                                                                                                              case
  •       Wildlife endangerment
  •       Emissions of pollutants (PM, NOx, SOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2)                  To assess the avoided emission of CO2 and other pollutants, existing or alternative         Environmental &
  •       Conflict with other local activities (e.g., agriculture/fishing)                 energy projects need to be considered. This is often complicated since the power             social aspects
  •       Project acceptance from local stakeholders                                       sector is complex and interconnected (import/export), generation patterns change                   Risk
                                                                                           hour-by-hour and the fleet evolves overtime.                                                   assessment
  Considerations should be made also with respect to current or
  alternative technologies deployed.                                                       Two main approaches exist:
                                                                                           • Average approach: today’s average emissions for the power sector are calculated
                                                                                             based on annual production and it is assumed that the project replaces the average
                                                                                             annual generation.
Source: Technical University of Denmark; Ea Energy Analyses and Viegand Maagoe analysis.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          18
  8        RISK ASSESSMENT                                                                                                                                                      Background &
                                                                                                                                                                                   scope
                                                                                                                                                                                   Revenue
 Risk is an event or a set of events that, should they occur, will have an effect on the project. Risks are classified within the following categories:                            streams
                                                                                                                                                                                   Resource
                                                                                                                                                                                  evaluation
                  Political risks – changes in support schemes, taxation rates,                         Technical risks – efficiency, maintainability, new
                  international sanctions etc.                                                          technologies etc.                                                    Financial & technical
                                                                                                                                                                                  key figures
                                                                                                                                                                                   Business
 These potential risks should be screened, and main project risks identified – Useful tool is the Risk Matrix                                                                        case
 For each risk identified, a dedicated risk mitigation measure (or strategy) should be identified – Useful tool is a Risk Register                                              Environmental
                                                                                                                                                                                   aspects
                                                                                                                                                                                     Risk
                                                                                                                                                                                 assessment
 • Plots Likelihood vs Impact for                                                               Set up as a table that should at least contain the following themes:
   the identified risks
 • Likelihood is estimated as a level                                                             Risk name          Description       Impact              Action
                                             Impact
   of probability
                                                                                                  Short name of      Brief             Describe the        Identify which
 • Impact is normally estimated in
                                                                                                  the identified     description of    impact that the     actions to take
   terms of potential capital loss
                                                                                                  risks              the risks –       risk can have       for mitigating
                                                                                                                     should enable a   on the project      the risk
                                                                                                                     discussion
                                                              Likelihood
Source: KPMG, Danish Embassy in Jakarta, Danish Energy Agency; Ea Energy Analyses and Viegand Maagoe analysis                                                                                    19
   8       RISK ASSESSMENT: SPECIFIC RISK                                                                                                                                       Background &
                                                                                                                                                                                   scope
Each power generating technology has its own list of potential risks factors to be considered                                                                                      Revenue
                                                                                                                                                                                   streams
                                                                                                                                                                                   Resource
                                                                                                                                                                                  evaluation
   Wind power                            Solar PV plant                   Bioenergy power                  Hydro power                       Geothermal power                Financial & technical
                                                                                                                                                                                  key figures
                                                                                                                                                        Revenue
                                                                                                                                                        streams
                                                                                                                                                        Resource
                                                                                                                                                       evaluation
       Inflation – inflation rate higher than             Amendment of terms – unfavorable            Terrorism – risk of terror attack and          Environmental
                                                                                                                                                        aspects
       expected                                           changes in terms                            damage to the project
                                                                                                                                                          Risk
                                                                                                                                                      assessment
       Interest rate – interest rate higher than          Revision of support – unfavorable changes   Natural catastrophe – risk of natural
       expected                                           in subsidies and support                    event that will damage the project
[1] AACE International. Evaluating Capital Cost Estimation Programs. Chemical Engineering. August 2011
[2] Ea Energy Analyses. Biomass for energy - Prefeasibility Study of a Biomass Plant in Java. February 2018
[3] KPMG, Danish Embassy in Jakarta, Danish Energy Agency. Lombok - Prefeasibility studies on RE solutions. January 2019
[4] Technical University of Denmark. Feasibility studies and assessment of energy technologies. 2020
[5] NEC, BPPT Engineering, Ea Energy Analyses, Danish Energy Agency. Technology Data for the Indonesian Power Sector - Catalogue for Generation and Storage of Electricity. December 2017
                                                                                                                                                                                            22
GLOSSARY AND DEFINITIONS
 Net Present Value         Net present value (NPV) is the difference between the present value of cash inflows and the                 𝑵𝑷𝑽 = −𝐶𝐹0 + σ𝑇𝑡=1
                                                                                                                                                                       𝐶𝐹𝑡
                           present value of cash outflows over a period of time.                                                                                      1+𝑟 𝑡
 (NPV)                     Formula notation: CF0 is the cash flow at year 0 and CFt is the cash flow at year t, r is the
                           discount rate considered and T the total lifetime of the plant.
                           The internal rate of return is a discount rate that makes the net present value (NPV) of all cash                              𝑇
 Internal Rate of Return                                                                                                                                         𝐶𝐹𝑡
                           flows equal to zero in a discounted cash flow analysis.                                                     0 = −𝐶𝐹0 + 
 (IRR)                                                                                                                                                        1 + 𝑰𝑹𝑹     𝑡
                                                                                                                                                      𝑡=1
 Weighted Average Cost     The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is a calculation of a firm's cost of capital in which                  𝐸               𝐷
                                                                                                                                  𝑾𝑨𝑪𝑪 = 𝐸+𝐷 ∗ 𝑅𝑒 + 𝐸+𝐷 ∗ 𝑅𝑑 ∗ (1 − 𝑇)
                           each category of capital is proportionately weighted.
 of Capital                Formula notation: E and D are the total Equity and Debt, Re and Rd the return on equity and debt
 (WACC)                    respectively and T the tax rate in the country.
 Levelized Cost of         The LCOE can also be regarded as the minimum constant price at which electricity must be sold          𝑳𝑪𝑶𝑬 =
                                                                                                                                           𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒
                           in order to break even over the lifetime of the project.                                                         𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡
 Electricity               Formula notation: It , Mt and Ft are respectively the investment, maintenance and fuel cost at                     σ𝑇𝑡=1 𝑡
                                                                                                                                                     𝐼 + 𝑀𝑡 + 𝐹𝑡
 (LCoE)                                                                                                                                                  1+𝑟 𝑡
                           the year t, Et is the output of the plant at the year t, r is the discount rate considered and T the            =
                                                                                                                                                           𝐸𝑡
                           total lifetime of the plant                                                                                            σ𝑇𝑡=1           𝑡
                                                                                                                                                          1+𝑟
 Full load hours and       Full load hours (FLH) is a convenient notion expressing the equivalent number of hours of                          𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 [𝑀𝑊ℎ]
                                                                                                                                  𝑭𝑳𝑯 [ℎ] =
                           production at rated capacity that would give the same annual generation. Multiplying the FLH                          𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 [𝑀𝑊]
 Capacity factor           value by the installed capacity gives the production throughout one year.
                           The concept is equivalent to that of capacity factor (%); to convert capacity factor to FLH simply                                 𝐹𝐿𝐻
                           multiply the capacity factor by the total number of hours in a year (8760).                                         𝑪𝑭[%] =
                                                                                                                                                              8760
                                                                                                                                                                                 23
LIST OF ACRONYMS
24