---
title: "Capacity factor"
description: "Capacity factor is the actual energy output of a plant divided by the theoretical maximum if it had run at full nameplate continuously over the same period. Capacity factor combines availability (the plant's readiness to operate) with market dispatch (whether the plant was actually called upon)."
canonical_url: "https://sylio.co/glossary/capacity-factor"
last_updated: "2026-06-28T02:29:34.242Z"
---

**Capacity factor** is the actual energy output of a plant divided by the theoretical maximum if it had run at full nameplate continuously over the same period. Capacity factor combines [availability](/glossary/availability-factor) (the plant's readiness to operate) with market dispatch (whether the plant was actually called upon).

## Typical values

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>
      Sector
    </th>
    
    <th>
      Typical capacity factor
    </th>
  </tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>
      Coal-fired baseload
    </td>
    
    <td>
      50–70% (falling with renewables penetration)
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      CCGT baseload
    </td>
    
    <td>
      60–75%
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      CCGT load-following
    </td>
    
    <td>
      30–50%
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Peaker plants
    </td>
    
    <td>
      5–15%
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <a href="/glossary/waste-to-energy">
        Waste-to-energy
      </a>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      85–92% (close to availability — always dispatched)
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Recovery boiler / cement kiln
    </td>
    
    <td>
      88–95% (always dispatched)
    </td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

## Relationship to fouling

For always-dispatched plants ([WtE](/glossary/waste-to-energy), cement, [recovery boiler](/glossary/recovery-boiler)), capacity factor approaches availability factor — fouling-driven [outages](/glossary/forced-outage) and [derates](/glossary/derate-capacity) translate directly into lost capacity factor. For market-dispatched plants (coal-fired, CCGT), capacity factor depends on market position more than on fouling, but fouling-driven [heat-rate](/glossary/heat-rate) degradation can push the plant down the merit order and reduce dispatched hours indirectly.

## Related terms

- [Availability factor](/glossary/availability-factor)
- [Heat rate](/glossary/heat-rate)
- [Derate (capacity)](/glossary/derate-capacity)