Power plant capacity depends on several factors that I will discuss deeply in this article.
When I talk about the capacity of the power plant, It’s all about the energy that it can produce within a specific period.
So, a power plant producing a higher amount of energy in a specific period is considered to be of high capacity, the vice versa is true.
There are several things that determine the overall capacity of a power plant; whether it should be of high or low capacity.
Without wasting time, let me share these factors so that you can understand what I am talking about.
The capacity of a power plant depends upon the following factors;
1. The maximum demand of the consumer at the moment.
The maximum demand of the consumer at the moment is the first factor that affects the capacity of the power plant.
You have to know that the main reason why a power plant is built is to provide power to the consumers.
And this will always be the reason that keeps the power plant reasonable enough before anything else.
The primary goal should be to satisfy the user. The power plant capacity will be first designed to cater for the needs of the consumer.
Calculations will be done to determine the amount of energy needed in certain durations.
And the power plant will be designed to meet these demands before anything else.
This is what will make the power plant functional.
With an idea of how much energy is needed to be distributed to the consumers, the power plant capacity can be decided.
This is the first factor that affects the capacity of the power plant.
If the amount of energy needed is lower, the capacity of the power plant will range around those values no matter how big it’s.
2. Type of load primarily required from the power plant.
The type of load required from the power plant is also one of the factors that affect the power plant’s capacity.
There are different types of loads that a power plant can generate, and for each specific load; the power plant will be required to have different capacities.
For instance, we have industrial, private, public, commercial, domestic and railways loads, all these loads require different amounts of power.
You can’t compare the capacity of a power plant that produces industrial load to that which produces domestic load.
These two power plants will have different loads, the power plant supplying energy to the industry will have a higher capacity than the power plant supplying to the domestic consumers.
The domestic load is lower since there are no uses for heavy machines. I doubt if you have a heavy load machine in your garage unless you are dealing with production.
These different types of loads that are primarily required by the user are what are going to affect the capacity of these power plants.
If the power plant is primarily required to produce a load that requires a higher amount of electrical energy, the capacity of that power plant has to be higher to be able to meet the demand needed at the moment.
When anything changes in the future, the load can be changed, that is also possible.
But I hope you now understand how the type of load can affect the capacity of a power plant.
3. The future load condition of the power plant.
The future load condition of the power plant is another factor that affects the capacity of the power plant.
When designing a power plant, you should always think of the future.
You might like this: Requirements Of Power Plant Station Design
One should think of the future of the power plant also.
If the area the power plant is supplying power is going to develop and more businesses will come in and the population of the town will increase there will be a need to expand the power plant.
The expansion of the power plant will increase the power plant’s capacity to be able to stand up against the increasing demand of the rising population around town.
If there is a possibility of a town growing to something more than what it’s right now, there will be a need to design the power plant in a way that it will be able to stand up against the raising demand of the consumers.
The power plant that is designed with possible expansion expectations in five years to come is going to have a capacity that can be altered.
Which is different from a power plant that is built or designed with no expansion expectations in mind.
This is one of the factors that affect the capacity of the power plant.
4. Availability of fuel that is used to generate power.
Fuel is necessary for the production of power in these power plants.
Availability of fuel is tied to the capacity of the power plant in one way.
These two are connected in such a way that if one increases the other one will too.
If there is no limitation when it comes to the fuel needed to produce the electricity, the plant capacity can be kept at any range.
But if there is a limitation when it comes to the fuel needed to generate electricity, the power plant will only be able to be kept at a certain capacity.
For instance, if a steam power plant is in play when it comes to the provision of energy, lots of heat energy will be needed to produce quality steam that will drive the turbines.
And for quality steam to be produced, the availability of quality fuel is necessary.
When we talk about the availability of the fuel; we don’t only talk about the presence of the fuel but also all the factors that affect the ability of the power plant to have the fuel in their power plant.
This can start from the accessibility of the future to the cost of the fuel.
You might like this: Essential Requirements That Fuel Should Posses
So, the main point you should take away from this section of this article is that, if the fuel is available the power plant capacity can be as higher as anyone desires it to be since there are no limitations on the amount of power that can be produced from it.
Considering the equipment installed can handle the electrical energy produced in that plant.
But if there is a limitation when it comes to the fuel available to be used in the power plant, there will be a limit on the electrical energy that can be produced from that plant thus affecting the power plant capacity.
5. The total cost of the power plant.
The cost of the power plant is one of the factors that can affect the power plant’s capacity.
If the cost of operation of the power plant is higher, the production of electrical energy will be limited to a certain capacity.
This will render the power plant stable at a certain type of load that it’s going to supply.
A power plant of higher capacity will require intense maintenance and the operation cost will also be higher.
Also, if the initial capital invested in the power plant is higher, the cost of electrical energy generation is also going to be higher.
You can’t compare the cost of operation of a power plant with a higher capacity to that of a lower capacity.
The maintenance, the fuel, the operation and all other factors that add up to the input of the power plant will be higher when we are dealing with a power plant of higher capacity.
The total cost that will be needed to keep the power plant running smoothly, is what will affect the overall capacity.
If the costs of operation are lower, the power plant capacity can be higher since more of the budget money can be invested in increasing the efficiency of the power plant.
It will be possible to get quality fuel, better transformers, durable electric cables and any other improvements that will need to be done to the power plant to increase its efficiency.
A power plant that has a higher cost of operation will require a specific capacity that won’t make the power plant need more maintenance, fuel and any other things that will come in handy when it comes to electrical energy production.
This kind of power plant is likely to be at a specified capacity because of the budget allocated for it.
And this is how this factor affects the capacity of a power plant.
6. Possibility of interconnecting the power plant to other power plants.
Interconnection of power plants to other power plants is something that happens.
For instance, if a power plant can’t produce enough electrical energy to meet up the demand of the consumers, yet no expansion of the power plant is possible, there will be a need to interconnect the power plant to other power plants.
This is also one of the factors that affect the capacity of a power plant.
Also, this increases the businesses between the power plants whenever there is a need shortage in a certain power plant.
So, if there is any chance a power plant will be connected to other power plants in the future, its capacity isn’t going to be that high considering if there is a rise in demand interconnection can be done and that would solve the problem.
That is the reason behind this interconnection, especially if the space, expenditure and resources for expansion aren’t available.
Lastly…
I have tried my best to explain the factors that affect the power plant capacity according to my understanding of the topic.
You will meet people with a different perspective when it comes to what I have shared in this article.
And that is the beauty and uniqueness of mechanical engineering.
If you have any questions about what I have shared in this article, feel free to leave your comment.
For that much, I have not much to say, thank you so much for reading, I will see you in my next article.
Related articles to check.
