Studies
Independent studies for low-carbon technology decisions.
We deliver techno-economic assessments, feasibility studies and independent design reviews, giving decision-makers a clear, defensible technical and economic basis before committing capital.
Definition
What is a techno-economic assessment?
A techno-economic assessment (TEA) is a structured study that evaluates the technical performance and economic viability of a technology or project. It combines process modelling, mass and energy balances, CAPEX and OPEX estimates, and sensitivity analyses to produce a defensible view of feasibility, cost and risk before major investment decisions.
Two audiences, one service
The same study rigour, framed for the decision in front of you.
You need to prove your technology works on paper before it works at scale.
- TEA for fundraising and investor decks
- Feasibility studies for grant applications
- Performance assessment of early prototypes
For sector bodies and public organisations, technology and market landscape studies, accessible technical reviews, independent expert reporting.
What we deliver
Studies built around the decision they have to support.
Every engagement is scoped to the question in front of you. Typical deliverables include:
Techno-economic assessment
Bottom-up CAPEX, OPEX and LCOX (LCOH, LCOA, LCOM, LCOJ) with stated accuracy class.
Feasibility & pre-feasibility studies
Whether the project can be built, operated and financed under real technical, regulatory and commercial constraints.
Technology screening & selection
Structured trade-offs across viable configurations with documented criteria, defendable to boards and investors.
Process simulation & balances
Steady-state process models with full mass and energy balances across every stream and unit operation.
Independent design & engineering reviews
Written opinion on a TEA, BoD or vendor proposal, what holds up, what doesn't, what's missing.
Risk & performance assessments
Performance, schedule and technical risk evaluated against the project's actual drivers, not a generic checklist.
Market & technology landscape studies
Where a technology stands today, who's deploying it, at what scale, and where it's heading.
Sensitivity & scenario analysis
Which assumptions actually move the answer, and by how much, so the conclusion is robust, not fragile.
Our approach
Four steps, one defensible answer.
01
Frame
We pin down the actual decision the study has to support, and the cases, boundary conditions and accuracy class needed to support it.
02
Technical baseline
Process model, mass and energy balances, equipment sizing and key assumptions, built from engineering, sourced and documented.
03
Economics
Bottom-up CAPEX and OPEX, levelised cost (LCOX), and sensitivities on the variables that genuinely move the answer.
04
Conclude
Clear conclusions tied back to the decision, with defensible numbers, transparent assumptions, and a record of what would change the answer.
What sets our studies apart
Studies you can actually decide on.
Independent
No commercial ties to technology vendors, recommendations are made on technical and economic merit.
Engineering-grounded
Numbers are built bottom-up from process engineering, not borrowed from public reports.
Decision-shaped
Each study is scoped around the actual decision it needs to support, not a generic template.
Where this fits
In the project lifecycle.
Studies sit at the front of the funnel, where decisions are cheap to change but expensive to get wrong. From there, the basis flows into conceptual engineering and beyond.
- Idea / strategy
- IonectPre-feasibility & feasibility
- IonectTEA & technology selection
- Conceptual engineering
- Detailed engineering
- Construction
Why Ionect
For studies, specifically.
Independent of any vendor
No commercial ties to electrolyzer, capture or reactor suppliers. Recommendations are made on technical and economic merit.
Senior engineers do the work
Not analysts running templates. The people building your numbers are the ones who designed and commissioned real plants.
Deep technical literacy
Electrochemistry, hydrogen, e-fuels and CCU, we model these processes from first principles, not from public reports.
Agile delivery
Iterative interim outputs you can react to and steer, not a single waterfall report at the end of the engagement.
Related technologies
Where we apply these studies.
Knowledge hub
Background reading.
FAQ
Studies, answered.
What's the difference between a feasibility study and a techno-economic assessment?+
A feasibility study answers a broader question, can this project be built and operated under realistic technical, regulatory and commercial constraints. A techno-economic assessment (TEA) is more focused: it quantifies the economics of a defined technical configuration through process modelling, mass and energy balances, CAPEX, OPEX and LCOX, and tests how those numbers move under sensitivities. Most decisions need both: feasibility frames the problem, the TEA prices it.
How long does a typical techno-economic assessment take?+
A focused TEA on a defined technology and a clear set of cases typically takes 4 to 8 weeks. Pre-feasibility studies that include screening between several pathways, more cases, or original process modelling generally run 8 to 14 weeks. We agree the scope, the cases and the deliverables up front so the timeline is bounded by the decision the study has to support.
Can you do an independent review of a study already done by someone else?+
Yes. We frequently review TEAs, feasibility studies and basis-of-design documents produced by vendors, technology developers or other engineering firms. The review covers process assumptions, mass and energy balances, equipment sizing, cost basis, sensitivities and the conclusions drawn. The output is a written opinion that flags weaknesses, missing cases, and any numbers that don't survive scrutiny.
What's included in your CAPEX and OPEX estimates, and what isn't?+
CAPEX is built bottom-up from the equipment list and sized unit operations, with installation, piping, instrumentation, electrical, civil and indirect costs layered on, plus contingency stated against an accuracy class (typically AACE Class 4 or 5 at this phase). OPEX covers utilities, feedstocks, consumables, maintenance and a labour basis. We exclude things that depend on a specific site or financing structure, land, permitting fees, financing costs and tax, unless explicitly in scope.
How conservative are your assumptions?+
We aim for realistic, not optimistic. Performance assumptions come from process engineering and validated data, not vendor marketing. Where data is uncertain, we say so, document the source, and test the impact in sensitivity analysis. The goal is a number you can defend in front of a board, an investor, or a due-diligence team.
Can your study be used in a fundraise or grant application?+
Yes. Many of our studies are produced specifically to underpin investor decks, term sheets and grant submissions (Horizon Europe, Innovation Fund, national programmes). The format and depth are shaped to what those audiences need: a credible technical basis, a transparent cost build-up, sensitivities, and a clear statement of what would change the answer.