Microturbines

Microturbine capital costs range from $700/kW for larger units to approximately $1,100/kW for smaller ones. These costs include all hardware, associated manuals, software, and initial training. The addition of a heat recovery system adds between $75 - $350/kW. Site preparation and installation costs vary significantly from location-to-location but generally add 30-70% to the total capital cost.

Microturbine manufacturers are targeting a future capital cost below $650/kW. This appears to be feasible given the market expands and sales volumes increase.

With fewer moving parts, microturbine vendors hope their units can provide higher reliability and require less maintenance than conventional reciprocating engine generators. Manufacturers expect that initial units will require more unexpected visits, but as the technology matures, a once-a-year maintenance schedule should suffice. Most manufacturers are targeting maintenance intervals of 5,000-8,000 hours.

Actual maintenance costs and intervals for mature microturbines are less well known since there is a limited base of empirical data from which to draw conclusions. Estimated forecasts range from $0.005-$0.016 per kWh, which would be comparable to costs for small reciprocating engine systems.