Windturbines: the whole truth.
II1. The production factor (Sometimes called the capacity factor.):
The total number of kilowatt-hours produced by a wind turbine in a year including all the power variations between maximum and zero or almost zero as a percentage of the production in the case of full and continuous power is called the "production factor".
Over a year's time, a modern windturbine with a maximum power of 3,000 KW (3MW) will effectively generate electricity by means of no more than between 18% and very seldomly 30% of that power, because of all those variations.The taller the turbine and the windier its location, the higher its production factor will be. 30% is practically never reached anywhere onshore. On sea, on very windy locations, 35 or 36% are sometimes reached.
As a consequence of these variations of the wind speed and the impelled power during the year, the constructors of windturbines will never be able to guarantee a production factor. It can only be measured for each year at its ending. This is also why these constructors will never accept a penalty for not reaching the production factor they had estimated. The production factor they promise can only be guesswork, as they have no way of finding out what way and how strong the wind will blow in a given year. That production factor is entirely dependant on the unpredictable wind variations.
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