A generalized approach to estimating capacity factor of fixed speed wind turbines

This letter presents a method for estimating the capacity factor of stall regulated wind turbines, based on the wind probability distribution function and manufacturer-provided power curve. It is further shown that the existing capacity factor formulations, e.g., for pitch regulated wind turbines, are a specific example of the derived method. Rather than using a particular model for approximating the power curve, polynomial fitting is employed in order to preserve the generality.