Calculate the capacity factor of a solar installation and compare it with other sources.
Solar capacity factors run from about 10 per cent in cloudy northern climates to 25 per cent in sunny ones, against 40 to 50 per cent for wind and over 90 for nuclear. The figure reflects resource availability rather than equipment quality. Capacity factor is what makes generation capacity figures misleading: a gigawatt of solar produces far less annual energy than a gigawatt of baseload plant.
Solar Capacity Factor
Capacity factor = actual generation ÷ (capacity × 8,760 hours)
Capacity factor = actual generation ÷ (capacity × 8,760 hours) Solar capacity factors run from about 10 per cent in cloudy northern climates to 25 per cent in sunny ones, against 40 to 50 per cent for wind and over 90 for nuclear. The figure reflects resource availability rather than equipment quality.
Capacity factor is what makes generation capacity figures misleading: a gigawatt of solar produces far less annual energy than a gigawatt of baseload plant.
This calculator takes 2 inputs: Annual generation, Installed capacity. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.