Capacity factor

The net capacity factor of a power plant is the ratio of its actual output over a period of
time, to its potential output if it were possible for it to operate at full nameplate capacity
continuously over the same period of time. To calculate the capacity factor, take the total
amount of energy the plant produced during a period of time and divide by the amount of
energy the plant would have produced at full capacity. Capacity factors vary greatly
depending on the type of fuel that is used and the design of the plant. The capacity factor
should not be confused with the availability factor, capacity credit (firm capacity) or with
efficiency.

Formula :

To calculate the capacity factor, take the total amount of energy the plant produced during a
period of time and divide by the amount of energy the plant would have produced at full
capacity.

CF : %

CF : Capacity Factor (%)

Output Generator : The total amount of energy the plant produced during a period of
time. (MWh)

Periode Time : Periode Time during produced (h)

Nameplate Capacity (MW)

Example : PLTU Tidore memproduksi listrik 5 MW selama 1 bulan. Nameplate PLTU

sebesar 8.1 MW, berapa capacity factor nya?

Output generator : 5 MW x 30 hari x 24 jam = 3600 MWh

Periode Time : 30 hari x 24 jam = 720 h

Nameplate capacity : 8.1 MW

 3600
CF = 720 8.1 100%

= 61.7 %

Referensi :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacity_factor Diakses pada tanggal 27 Juli 2016 pada pukul

18:50 WIT.