Process Efficiency, Losses and Heat Rates

This guide from the Stockholm Environment Institute explains the three methods for specifying process efficiency data within the LEAP software: percentage efficiency, heat rate, and percentage energy losses.

• Process efficiency data can be entered using three distinct methods: as a percentage efficiency, as a heat rate (the amount of feedstock fuel needed per unit of energy produced), or as the percentage of energy losses. The choice of method is determined by editing the module properties.
• The default specification method is the percentage ratio of energy outputs to feedstock energy inputs, excluding co-product energy recovered. Typical values include approximately 33% for base-load steam generation and 100% for hydropower, renewable electricity generation systems, and imports.
• Specific efficiency definitions apply to different process types: for storage processes, efficiency is the ratio of energy generated to energy stored, while specifying efficiency as percentage energy losses is particularly useful for transmission and distribution systems.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). Process Efficiency, Losses and Heat Rates. https://leap.sei.org/help24/Transformation/Efficiency_Data.htm

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Process Efficiency, Losses and Heat Rates. n.d. https://leap.sei.org/help24/Transformation/Efficiency_Data.htm.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Process Efficiency, Losses and Heat Rates |url=https://leap.sei.org/help24/Transformation/Efficiency_Data.htm |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendprocess, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Process Efficiency, Losses and Heat Rates}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://leap.sei.org/help24/Transformation/Efficiency_Data.htm}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }