Nameplate capacity, also known as the rated capacity, nominal capacity, installed capacity, or maximum effect, is the intended full-load sustained output of a facility such as a

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...

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Energy Information Administration The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and publ ...

''. Retrieved: 23 September 2010.Glossary
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Nuclear Regulatory Commission The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy. Established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the NRC began opera ...

'', 2 August 2010. Retrieved: 23 September 2010.

electric generator In electricity generation, a generator is a device that converts motive power ( mechanical energy) or fuel-based power (chemical energy) into electric power for use in an external circuit. Sources of mechanical energy include steam turbines, g ...

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chemical plant A chemical plant is an industrial process plant that manufactures (or otherwise processes) chemicals, usually on a large scale. The general objective of a chemical plant is to create new material wealth via the chemical or biological transfo ...

,Plant Performance Data (PPD)
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''Mining-Technology'', 14 Jan 2010. Retrieved: 23 September 2010. metal refinery,Refining Capacity
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Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for Aluminum Company of America) is a Pittsburgh-based industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primar ...

'', December 31, 2009. and many others. Nameplate capacity is the theoretical output registered with authorities for classifying the unit. For intermittent power sources, such as wind and solar, nameplate power is the source's output under ideal conditions, such as maximum usable wind or high sun on a clear summer day. Capacity factor measures the ratio of actual output over an extended period to nameplate capacity. Power plants with an output consistently near their nameplate capacity have a high capacity factor. For electric power stations, the power output is expressed in Megawatt electrical (MWe). For fuel plants, it is the refinery capacity in barrels per day.Refinery Economics
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Natural Resources Canada Natural Resources Canada (NRCan; french: Ressources naturelles Canada; french: RNCan, label=none)Natural Resources Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Natural Resources (). is the dep ...

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''Arabian Business'', 17 June 2008.

Power stations

Dispatchable power

For dispatchable power, this capacity depends on the internal technical capability of the plant to maintain output for a reasonable amount of time (for example, a day), neither momentarily nor permanently, and without considering external events such as lack of fuel or internal events such as maintenance. Actual output can be different from nameplate capacity for a number of reasons depending on equipment and circumstances.Kleiser, Thomas
Response to CDM
page 2-4 by '' TÜV'', 4 March 2009. Retrieved: 23 September 2010.Swain, Bibb
Designed to go above Nameplate Capacity
''Ethanol Producer'', November 2006. Retrieved: 23 September 2010.

Non-dispatchable power

For non-dispatchable power, particularly

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

, nameplate capacity refers to generation under ideal conditions. Output is generally limited by weather conditions,

hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined a ...

water levels, tidal variations and other outside forces. Equipment failures and maintenance usually contribute less to capacity factor reduction than the innate variation of the power source. In

photovoltaics Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially ...

, capacity is rated under ''Standard Test Conditions'' usually expressed as watt-peak (W_p). In addition, a PV system's nameplate capacity is sometimes denoted by a subindex, for example, MW_DC or MW_AC, to identify the raw DC power or converted AC power output.

Generator capacity

The term is connected with

nameplate A nameplate identifies and displays a person or product's name. Nameplates are usually shaped as rectangles but are also seen in other shapes, sometimes taking on the shape of someone's written name. Nameplates primarily serve an informat ...

s on

electrical generator In electricity generation, a generator is a device that converts motive power ( mechanical energy) or fuel-based power ( chemical energy) into electric power for use in an external circuit. Sources of mechanical energy include steam turbines, ...

s as these plates describing the model name and manufacturer usually also contain the rated output,Reitze, Arnold W
Air pollution control law: compliance and enforcement
page 260 '' George Washington University Law School'', 2001. , Retrieved: 23 September 2010. but the rated output of a power station to the electrical grid is invariably less than the generator nameplate capacity, because the components connecting the actual generator to the "grid" also use power. Thus there is a distinction between component capacity and facility capacity.

References

{{Electricity generation Power station technology Electric power Electrical generators Energy conversion

Power stations

Dispatchable power

Non-dispatchable power

Generator capacity

See also

References