Capacity Factor |  |  |  |

The capacity factor is the ratio of the system's predicted electrical output in the first year of operation to the output had the system operated at its nameplate capacity:

Where,

CF | Capacity factor.
E OutputYear1 (kWh) | The total annual electric generation in the first year of operation, equivalent to year one in the project cash flow.
P SystemCapacity (kW) | The system's rated capacity expressed in kilowatts (see table below).
8760 (hours) | Number of hours in a simulation year.

The system capacity depends on technology being modeled. Note that Solar Advisor converts the capacity value to kW before using it in the calculation.

Table 34. Rated system capacity values for each technology.

Technology | System Capacity | Input Page
PV SAM Performance Models | Total Array Power (Wdc) | Array
PV PVWatts | DC Rating (kW) | PVWatts Solar Array
CSP Parabolic Trough | Rated Turbine Net Capacity (MWe) | Power Block
CSP Power Tower | Nameplate Capacity (MWe) | Power Cycle
CSP Dish Stirling | Total Capacity (kW) | Solar Field
Generic Fossil | Nameplate Capacity (kWe) | Fossil Plant