Question

Compare the plant load factor in different countries

Answer 1

here is the answer

As far as I know Plant Load Factor is the old definition of Capacity factor and actually both of them represent same parameter.

" The net capacity factor of a power plant is the ratio of its actual output over a period of time, to its potential output if it were possible for it to operate at full nameplate capacity indefinitely. To calculate the capacity factor, take the total amount of energy the plant produced during a period of time and divide by the amount of energy the plant would have produced at full capacity. Capacity factors vary greatly depending on the type of fuel that is used and the design of the plant. The capacity factor should not be confused with the availability factor, capacity credit (firm capacity) or with efficiency."

But Capacity Utilization factor is in general an economic term which could be applied to power plant engineering as well. Again I think Wikipedia produces the best hints:

"Capacity utilization is a concept in economics and managerial accounting which refers to the extent to which an enterprise or a nation actually uses its installed productive capacity. Thus, it refers to the relationship between actual output that 'is' actually produced with the installed equipment, and the potential output which 'could' be produced with it, if capacity was fully used. One is the "engineering" or "technical" definition, according to which potential output represents the maximum amount of output that can be produced in the short-run with the existent stock of capital. Thus, a standard definition of capacity utilization is the (weighted) average of the ratios between the actual output of firms to the maximum that could be produced per unit of time, with existing plant and equipment (see Johanson 1968). Obviously, "output" could be measured in physical units or in market values, but normally it is measured in market values."

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