Technical Stuff

Capacity factor

The capacity factor is the average power generated, divided by the rated peak power.

A 5.12-kilowatt (KW) home solar array produces power at an average of 1.275 KWh per day (24 hours) with an average of 5 hours of direct sunlight. 1.275÷ 5.12 = 0.249 = 24.9%

A 5-megawatt (MW) wind turbine produces power at an average of 1.8 MWh per day (24 hours). 1.8 ÷ 5 = 0.40 = 40%

A 1-gigawatt (GW) nuclear produces power at an average of 0.93 GWh per day (24 hours). 0.93 ÷ 1= 0.93 = 93%