Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
    • Events
  • Videos
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

369,000 MWh is an impressive production figure. What was the capacity factor?

By Paul Dvorak | January 21, 2016

the London Array offshore wind farm smashed its previous monthly output record during December. The 175-turbine, 630-MW offshore array, in the U.K.’s outer Thames Estuary, generated 369,000 MWh of clean power in December 2015.

The London Array offshore wind farm smashed its previous monthly output record during December. The 175-turbine, 630-MW offshore array, in the U.K.’s outer Thames Estuary, generated 369,000 MWh of clean power in December 2015.

A recent news brief tells that the London Array offshore wind farm smashed its previous monthly output record during December. The 175-turbine, 630-MW offshore array, in the U.K.’s outer Thames Estuary, generated 369,000 MWh of clean power in December 2015, well in excess of its previous monthly best of 317,000MWh from November 2015.

Big numbers sound impressive but what was the Array’s capacity factor? The figure, which can tell us more about the Array, is a percent or ratio of a wind farm’s maximum capacity and depends on the wind in a particular location. For instance, onshore wind farms across Europe have capacity factors of about 0.25 to 0.30. In the North American Great Plains, the figure ranges from 0.3 to 0.4. On 80-m towers with newer equipment, the figure approaches 0.50 in good wind locations. An annual figure can be calculated from a year’s worth of wind data from a nearby met mast, and as you would expect, it will vary from month to month. Still, how did the London Array fare?

To calculate the monthly output of a turbine or wind farm and a particular location, use this equation:
Pp  = Cr x N days/month x 24 hours/day x Fc 

Where Pp = power production, Cr = full rated capacity, and Fc = capacity factor.

For the London Array in December, the equation would read:

369,000 MWh = 630 MW x 30 days x 24 h/day x Fc

Solving for Fc gives: 

Fc  = 369,000 MWh / (630 MW x 30 days x 24 hours/day)

= 0.81
That is a remarkable figure, the highest I have heard of and easily approaching that of some nuclear and fossil fuel plants. It means that for the month, the offshore wind-farm was working at 81% of its maximum capacity. The figure tells that the Array planners certainly picked a good location and it validates the effort to place wind farms offshore.

–Paul Dvorak


Filed Under: News, Offshore wind
Tagged With: london array, offshore
 

About The Author

Paul Dvorak

Comments

  1. John Freeland says

    January 21, 2016 at 10:14 am

    Interesting. 0.81 or 81% is unbelievable. As you have based on 30 days and there are 31 days in December, presumably the capacity factor would be less

Related Articles Read More >

US government allows Empire Wind offshore project to resume construction
Richardson Electronics to deliver pitch energy modules to TransAlta wind fleets
Equinor halts work on Empire Wind offshore project after federal government order
ARESCA wants input on offshore wind standards

Podcasts

Wind Spotlight: Looking back at a year of Thrive with ZF Wind Power
See More >

Windpower Engineering & Development Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Browse the most current issue of Windpower Engineering & Development and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading wind power engineering magazine today.

Windpower Engineering & Development
  • Wind Articles
  • Solar Power World
  • Subscribe to Windpower Engineering
  • About Us/Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising

Search Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
    • Events
  • Videos
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe