Originally Posted by
Wanderer20001us
The answer is 30% for the correct answer to the quiz.
What is “capacity factor”?
The capacity factor is the actual output over a period of time as a proportion of a wind turbine or facility’s maximum capacity. For example, if a 1.5-MW turbine generates power over one year at an average rate of 0.5 MW, its capacity factor is 33% for that year.
What is the typical capacity factor for industrial wind turbines?
The average capacity factor for 137 U.S. wind projects reporting to the Energy Information Agency in 2003 was 26.9%. The total capacity factor for EU-27 countries in 2007 was 13%, according to the EIA.
What is the difference between capacity factor and availability?
A wind turbine may be “available” for 90% or more of the time, but its output depends only on the wind. Without the wind, it is like a bicycle that nobody rides: available, but not spinning.
The turbine’s “capacity factor” is its actual average output as a fraction of its full capacity. This is usually between 15% and 30%.