Capacity used

Bevan
22 April 2009 – 11:01pm

Also called capacity factor, the capacity used refers to the percentage of the installed capacity that is used over time, on average. No power plant produces at full capacity over long periods of time due to maintenance needs, lack of demand, or, in the case of hydro dams, a lack of water. Capacity factor will tend to be lower where a large power plant is installed with a small reservoir on a river with a great degree of seasonal variation in flows. In the case of dams operating in Ecuador, capacity factor ranges from 21% to 90% with an non-weighted average of 49%. For another definition, please see Energy Vortex Dictionary.

Dam Country Installed capacity (MW) Plant factor (%)
Balbina Brasil 250 44
Bayano Panama 150 40
Bhumibol Tailandia 535 30
Cirata Indonesia 500 33
Gezhouba China 2094 67
Guri Venezuela 9588 50
Kariba Sur Zimbabwe 666 36
Kompienga & Bagre Burkina Faso 30 18
Kotmale Sri Lanka 200 23
Kulekhhani I & II Nepal 92 12
La Fortuna Panama 300 47
Macagua I Venezuela 360 82
Nurek Tadshikistan 3000 43
Saguling Indonesia 700 35
Samanalawewa Sri Lanka 120 27
Sardar Sarovar India 1450 28- >3
Tucurui Brasil 4000 51
Victoria Sri Lanka 210 2

Source: P. McCully, Silenced Rivers: The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams, Zed Books, London & New Jersey 1996, p. 137