Impact of Load and Wind Uncertainties on Capacity Factor of Thermal Generators

Wind energy is one of the most preferred renewable energy options. However, the availability of wind is uncertain and this introduces uncertainties in the power system operation. Inclusion of wind power in power systems is expected to replace thermal generation in near future. In this context, policy makers are concerned about the impact of wind energy on the capacity factor of the existing thermal generators. This impact might be profound when wind uncertainty is combined with load uncertainty. The current work analyses the impact of wind and load uncertainty on the capacity factor of the thermal generators. For this two wind farms are incorporated in 6, 10 and 40 generator systems, economic emission dispatch is performed and the capacity factors before and after wind integration are compared. It is found that wind integration do affect the capacity factors profoundly and this impact varies across test systems.