A solar plant has nameplate capacity 100 MW. If its actual annual energy output equals 1/4 of what would be produced at full capacity, what is the approximate annual capacity factor?

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Multiple Choice

A solar plant has nameplate capacity 100 MW. If its actual annual energy output equals 1/4 of what would be produced at full capacity, what is the approximate annual capacity factor?

Capacity factor measures how much energy a plant actually produces in a year compared with what it would produce if it ran at full capacity all year. For a 100 MW plant, full-time operation would yield 100 MW × 8,760 hours ≈ 876,000 MWh in a year. If the actual annual output is one quarter of that, it’s 876,000 × 0.25 ≈ 219,000 MWh. The capacity factor is 219,000 / 876,000 ≈ 0.25, or about 25%.

Capacity factor measures how much energy a plant actually produces in a year compared with what it would produce if it ran at full capacity all year. For a 100 MW plant, full-time operation would yield 100 MW × 8,760 hours ≈ 876,000 MWh in a year. If the actual annual output is one quarter of that, it’s 876,000 × 0.25 ≈ 219,000 MWh. The capacity factor is 219,000 / 876,000 ≈ 0.25, or about 25%.

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