Power stations do not work at maximum output all of the time. The capacity factor for non-renewables is always higher than for renewables. This is because ...

The answer is below

Explanation:

There are various reasons for a power station not to work at maximum output all the time. These includes technical constraints, such as

1. Availability of the plant: sometimes the availability of generating plants may affect capacity factor, which may be caused due to plant part break down, or routine servicing.

2. Economic reasons: the capacity factor of a generating plant can be affected due to the level of usage at peak performance, as the cost of running the plant at peak form may be expensive to maintain.

3. Availability of the energy resource: this often applicable to generating plants using renewable energy, this is because, energy source such as wind, solar and water may not be readily available all the year round as they can be seasonal. Also, the maximum output can be affected even if the generating plant is using non renewable energy, as there maybe some times, unavailability or low supply of the crude oil or fossil fuel.

Also, the main reason in which the capacity factor for non-renewables is always higher than for renewables, is because of the availability factor, or availability of the energy resources. This is because renewable energy such as water, wind, and solar are not readily available all the time, and are subject to atmospheric conditions, unlike non renewable energy such as crude oil, which can be readily available by purchasing them.