Power System Utilization
Plant Use Factor
UF\% = (Actual\ Energy / (Rated\ Capacity \times Hours\ Operated)) \times 100
Variables
| UF% | Plant use factor | % |
| ActualEnergy | Energy actually generated | kWh |
| RatedCapacity | Installed/rated capacity | kW |
| HoursOperated | Hours the plant was actually running | hours |
Engineering Example
A 50 MW plant generating 300,000 kWh while only running 8 hours: UF = 300000/(50000×8)×100 = 75%.
Practical Site Example
Distinguishes "how hard it ran while running" from capacity factor's "how hard it ran overall".