Difference between revisions of "Capacity Factor"
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(Created page with "Capacity factor is a crucial concept for understanding the potential output achievable by a power generator. Imagine a perfectly reliable device that runs 24 hours a day, 365...") |
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* Intermittent or interrupted energy source | * Intermittent or interrupted energy source | ||
* Variability of the energy source | * Variability of the energy source | ||
| − | + | Solar Photo-voltaic in the UK has a capacity factor of around 11% while wind power in the UK has a capacity factor in the low 30's % | |
| − | Solar Photo-voltaic in the UK has a capacity factor of around 11% while wind power in the UK has a capacity factor in the low 30's %<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacity_factor#United_Kingdom]</ref> | + | <ref>Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacity_factor#United_Kingdom]</ref> |
| − | + | <br> | |
| − | References | + | The naïve solution of building three times as many wind farms - or nine times as many solar PV installations won't work because of the [[Just In Time Grid|'Just In Time']] nature of our national electricity grid |
| + | ==References== | ||
| + | {{reflist}} | ||
Latest revision as of 11:39, 24 April 2019
Capacity factor is a crucial concept for understanding the potential output achievable by a power generator. Imagine a perfectly reliable device that runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at its full rated capacity. That device has a capacity factor of 100%. In the real world, the capacity factor is always less than 100, sometimes much less. Reasons might be:
- Mechanical breakdown or shutdown for maintenance
- Lack of demand for the electricity generated
- Intermittent or interrupted energy source
- Variability of the energy source
Solar Photo-voltaic in the UK has a capacity factor of around 11% while wind power in the UK has a capacity factor in the low 30's %
[1]
The naïve solution of building three times as many wind farms - or nine times as many solar PV installations won't work because of the 'Just In Time' nature of our national electricity grid