Power System Utilization
Plant Capacity Factor
CF\% = (Actual\ Energy / (Rated\ Capacity \times Hours)) \times 100
Variables
| CF% | Capacity factor | % |
| ActualEnergy | Energy actually generated | kWh |
| RatedCapacity | Installed/rated capacity | kW |
| Hours | Period length | hours |
Engineering Example
A 100 MW plant generating 350 GWh in a year: CF = 350,000,000/(100,000×8760)×100 ≈ 40%.
Practical Site Example
Run-of-river hydropower in Nepal typically shows a lower dry-season capacity factor than a reservoir-backed plant — this metric is exactly how that gap is quantified.