Definition of Generator Energy
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Energy
Changes in the chemical or physical state of anything in our environment requires a fundamental “something” that scientists have called Energy. Energy is measured in Joules (J). An electric Generator provides Energy in electrical form. In Physics another term used for Energy is Work, and the rate at which Work is done is referred to as Power. Based on this, another way of defining Equipment Capacity (see page "Definition of Generator Capacity") is: "The Equipment Capacity of a Generator is the maximum Work per second that the Generator is able to do for any amount of time needed." In the electrical power system field, the measurement unit Joule/Second (J/s) is referred to as Watt (W). As these units are too small, in practice the corresponding units used are MJ/s and MW where the M means millions. Since Power is Energy/Second, multiplying Power by Time provides Energy which in practice is measured in megawatt hours (MWH). Based on the above the definition for Generator Energy is as follows:
As an example, if a generator generates an average of 60 MW over 5 Hours, the generator has generated 60 MW * 5 Hours = 300 MWH. The reason for the "average" is that a generator does not generate a constant amount of power over the period. The generator power output over time looks similar to what it is shown in Figure 1 below. The Energy is given by the geometric area under the generation output curve. This area is given by the average power multiplied by the time period."The Energy provided by a generator over a period of time T is the average power P generated over this time multiplied by T."
