Plant efficiency

The efficiency of a plant is the percentage of the total energy content of a power plant's fuel that is converted into electricity. The remaining energy is usually lost to the environment as heat unless it is used for district heating.

See also: Waste heat, Combined heat and power, and cogeneration

Rating efficiency is complicated by the fact that there are two different ways to measure the fuel energy input:

  • LCV = Lower Calorific Value (same as NCV = Net Calorific Value) neglects thermal energy gained from exhaust H2O condensation
  • HCV = Higher Calorific Value (same as GCV, Gross Calorific Value) includes exhaust H2O condensed to liquid water

Depending on which convention is used, a differences of 10% in the apparent efficiency of a gas fired plant can arise, so it is very important to know which convention, HCV or LCV (NCV or GCV) is being used.

See also

References


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