Explain the Difference between ICAP and UCAP?
ICAP (Installed Capacity) represents generating capacity that is physically on the ground and has a defined value determined by a valid DMNC test or other approved evaluation method. Example – a generating unit with a face value of 100 MWs undergoes a DMNC test. According to the test results the unit can only produce 98 MWs. The NYISO will rate this unit at 98 MWs for ICAP purposes. UCAP (Unforced Capacity) represents the amount of ICAP that is actually available at any given time. It also is the unit used for buying and selling ICAP. UCAP is the percentage of ICAP available after a unit’s forced outage rate is calculated. Each month the generating unit submits data that profiles the unit’s performance. If a unit was unavailable due to a forced outage (ex: pump failure) for 10% of the hours in a month, the forced outage rate would be 10% and therefore, only 90% of the ICAP would be available. A rolling 12 month average of the monthly forced outage rate is used to determine the amount o
