Capacity Factor of Hydroelectric Power Plants in California

Contains the monthly capacity factor of all the hydroelectric power plants with a total nameplate capacity of 10MW or greater from the QFER database for 2014-2025. The dataset contains the capacity factor for each plant, as well as the energy related characteristics used to calculate the capacity factor (total capacity, net energy production). This layer was created for use in the CEC’s Hydroelectric Power Plants Application.The CEC’s Quarterly Fuel and Energy Reporting (QFER) Database tracks energy-related characteristics of all generating facilities 1MW and greater in California or within a control area that leads to California consumption. This data set focuses on the subset of these plants that use hydropower to generate electricity. Monthly values of these plants’ capacity factor, net energy production, and total capacity from 2014-2025 are provided. This time-enabled dataset also contains the plant names, their IDs from various agencies and organizations (EIA, CEC, CAISO), and characteristics used in the capacity factor calculation (total capacity for each plant and net energy produced on site). Additionally, this data set restricts those hydroelectric plants to those that are 10 MW or greater, and that have units with statuses of operating, standby, cold standby, or require maintenance. Those with statuses of out of service, indefinite shutdown, retired, or unknown are not included in this study.For more information visit: Visualization of Seasonal Variation in California Hydropower