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The 550 MW "nameplate capacity" is peak. The capacity factor of 26.6% means that it actually only produces about 146 MW on average. Nuclear power plants general
by Turing_Machine 4y ago
The 550 MW "nameplate capacity" is peak. The capacity factor of 26.6% means that it actually only produces about 146 MW on average. Nuclear power plants generally have a capacity factor above 90%.
- thehappypm 4y ago146 MW on average is still more than this facility needs.
- pfortuny 4y agoNot during the night and not when it is cloudy. Averages are vey bad numbers for something which is on 24/7.
- wewtyflakes 4y agoDo the plants typically run at night? Also, doesn't the capacity factor account for these variations already?
- Turing_Machine 4y agoNo, you would need a large storage facility as well. A nameplate capacity of 550 MW with a capacity factor of only 26% almost certainly means there are a lot of times when it isn't generating any power at all, or at least none to speak of.
- wewtyflakes 4y agoRight, but if those align with the times where the plant is not used at all (night), does it matter? That being said, I have no idea what the normal operational schedules are for these types of facilities.
- Turing_Machine 4y agoI'd wager a large sum that if you're investing $40 billion in a plant, you're going want it running 24/7/365.
- Turing_Machine 4y agoAnd definitely not if the clouds suddenly blow in when the process is at a critical stage.
- HDThoreaun 4y agoElectricity usage is much, much lower at night in Arizona because everyone turns AC off due to temperature drop. Plenty of baseload generators that can be better utilized at night with increased manufacturing.
- bcrosby95 4y agoKinda. Depends on the season. In the summer, its still 80 degrees at night in Phoenix.
- j_walter 4y agoNope...once all phases are built they will be using ~250MW of power.