Kapasitetsfaktoren

Kapasitetsfaktoren, also known as the capacity factor in energy terminology, is a metric that expresses how much of a power plant’s or a generation asset’s potential output is actually realized over a given period. It compares the actual energy produced to the energy that would have been produced if the asset operated at its rated maximum output continuously during that period.

The capacity factor is calculated as the ratio of actual energy production to the product of the installed capacity and the time period considered: CF = E_actual / (P_rated × t). When expressed as a percentage, it shows how efficiently the asset’s nameplate capacity is utilized over time. Typical measurement periods are months or a full year.

Interpretation and factors: A higher capacity factor indicates more consistent use of available capacity, while a lower factor reflects variability, outages, maintenance, or resource intermittency. Capacity factors vary by technology and location: nuclear and fossil-fired plants often exhibit high CF values (roughly 60–90% in many countries), while wind and solar PV usually have lower CF values (often 20–40% for wind, 10–25% for solar, depending on resource quality and location). Hydroelectric plants can vary widely depending on water availability.

Applications and limitations: Capacity factor is widely used in project financing, levelized cost of energy calculations, and planning to compare different technologies. It does not capture grid constraints, energy quality, or economic factors such as costs and revenues, and it can be sensitive to the chosen time horizon and resource variability.