Why is the nominal capacity of power plants given in terms of power, not energy?

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The nominal capacity of power plants is expressed in terms of power rather than energy because power indicates the immediate output capability required to meet demand. Power, defined as energy per second, provides a practical measure for real-time operational needs, such as the ability to deliver 10MW at a specific time. While energy output can be quantified over a plant's lifetime, this information is less relevant for daily operational decisions. Understanding a power plant's capacity in terms of power ensures that it can meet fluctuating load requirements effectively. Therefore, focusing on power capacity is essential for reliable energy supply management.
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Why is the nominal capacity of power plants given in terms of power and not in terms of energy?
 
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jamesfirst said:
Why is the nominal capacity of power plants given in terms of power and not in terms of energy
Second: integrating power over an unlimited time interval yields a meaningless number for energy.
 
jamesfirst said:
Why is the nominal capacity of power plants given in terms of power and not in terms of energy?

What do you mean by "in terms of energy"? Power = energy per second so why do you think power isn't "in terms of energy"?

I suppose you could specify the energy output in Joules over the life time of the power station but is that very useful on a day to day basis? If the load needs 10MW at 9am on Monday then you need to know if the power station can deliver that much power. It's no good knowing that over it's 40 year lifetime it can deliver 12 * 1015 Joules
 

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