Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuzz
My previous math on this came out to, at best, 18% of nameplate capacity over a year. So Brooks is 15MW, it will average to 2.7MW or less over a year.
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No one should really surprised by this. I think that's the exact capacity factor quoted often for Canada (with upwards of 20%+ for tracking solar panels in more ideals places like southern Alberta) Everyone knows night exists. But solar also produces during the day when the load and price are typically over the average price.
Especially with the summer peaks usually being a direct result of the sunlight and people needing to use AC. And it bids in at 0 so the more solar the better for our bills really.
That, along with cheaper technology, is why we're beginning to see half a billion dollar projects being invested into Alberta without subsidies.
https://globalnews.ca/news/5821917/t...erta-approval/
It only becomes a "problem" when solar and wind start having noticeable impacts on the generation, requiring some form of capacity market or upgrade on interties, but if the argument is that solar and wind produce so little then that won't happen anytime soon.