Solar power capacity factor

What is a power plant capacity factor?

Capacity factor, or more accurately net capacity factor, is the ratio of the actual electricity output of a power plant over a period of time relative to the theoretical maximum electricity output of a power plant over a period of time.

What is the capacity factor of a solar plant?

Capacity factor is the electrical energy output over time relative to the maximum electrical output over time. For example, a 100 MW solar plant generating 225,000 MWh has a ~26% capacity factor (225,000 MWh / (365 days * 24 hours/day * 100 MW).

How to calculate solar capacity factor?

To calculate the capacity factor, we need to determine the ratio of the energy output of the system over a certain period of time to the maximum possible rated power of the system, which is the nameplate capacity. Here is a simple formula to calculate the solar capacity factor (CF).

What is a good solar capacity factor?

For the solar utility power plant, solar capacity is around 24.5%. The solar capacity factor of a particular system tells how often the system is running. The higher the value of the capacity factor, the better the performance of the system. The ideal value is 100% for any system. But in the real world, the solar capacity factor never exceeds 40%.

What is the capacity utilization factor (CUF) of a solar power plant?

The capacity utilization factor (CUF) is one of the most important performance parameters for a solar power plant. It indicates how much energy a solar plant is able to generate compared to its maximum rated capacity over a period of time.

What is the average capacity factor for different power sources?

According to the EIA, the average capacity factor for different power sources is as follows: a hydroelectric plant is 36-43%, a nuclear plant is 91-93%, a solar plant is 24-26%, and a wind plant is 32-35%, a coal plant is ~41-61% and a combined cycle gas plant is ~49-57%.