Renewable PPA System Sizing Calculator

1. Enter the annual energy target
Use the quantity of electricity the PPA should deliver over a full year.

2. Choose a capacity factor
Use a technology- and location-specific long-run production estimate.

3. Set expected availability
Account for the portion of potential generation expected to remain available after outages.

4. Enter delivery losses
Include losses between generation and the contractual delivery or settlement point.

5. Review required MW
Use the result as an initial sizing estimate before hourly and commercial analysis.

Delivered yield per MW = 8,760 × Capacity factor × Availability × (1 − Loss rate) Required capacity (MW) = Annual energy target (MWh) ÷ Delivered yield per MW

The model assumes one standard year and constant annual adjustment factors. Percentages are entered as whole percentages and converted to decimals.

What the result means

The result is the approximate nameplate capacity needed to produce the target annual delivered energy under the entered assumptions.

Hourly mismatch, curtailment, contract shaping, and expected overbuild margins should be evaluated separately.

Given: 60,000 MWh annual target, 30% capacity factor, 98% availability, and 3% losses.

Calculation: Delivered yield per MW = 8,760 × 0.30 × 0.98 × 0.97 = 2,498.1 MWh/MW-year. Required capacity = 60,000 ÷ 2,498.1 = 24.02 MW.

Result: Approximately 24.02 MW of contracted capacity is required.