What is “capacity factor” and how productive do you expect the wind turbines to be?
Capacity factor is a measure of the productivity of power generation facilities. Capacity factor compares the actual production over the course of a year with the amount that would have been produced had the facility run at maximum output over the course of the year. This is expressed as a percentage. Depending upon the wind turbine selected, KCW expects a capacity factor of 25% to 38%. For purposes of comparison, the 2003 Vermont Renewable Power Supply Acquisition Authority Report indicates the TransCanada Deerfield and Connecticut River Dams have a 27% capacity factor. While some facilities operate at capacity factors upwards of 85% in the New England electrical grid, there are others with less than 1% capacity factors. With wind generation, the size of the rotor and the size of the electric generator are important in these calculations. A large rotor with a small generator would see the wind turbine operating whenever the wind blew, and would record a high capacity factor, however i
