The Seven Sisters Generating Station is a hydroelectric generating station located on the Winnipeg River , in eastern Manitoba near Seven Sisters Falls, Manitoba . The reservoir is called Natalie Lake and is used for recreational boating and fishing.
8-533: The present capacity of the generating station is 165 megawatts, and in a typical year the station can produce 990 million kilowatt-hours . It is the largest generating station on the Winnipeg River. Power is transmitted over five 115 kV lines to Winnipeg , and sixth and seventh lines to the Whiteshell and on to Kenora, Ontario . The powerhouse is 128 metres long. The total discharge of water from
16-496: A clear summer day. Capacity factor measures the ratio of actual output over an extended period to nameplate capacity. Power plants with an output consistently near their nameplate capacity have a high capacity factor. For electric power stations, the power output is expressed in Megawatt electrical (MW e ). For fuel plants, it is the refinery capacity in barrels per day. For dispatchable power , this capacity depends on
24-419: Is generally limited by weather conditions, hydroelectric dam water levels, tidal variations and other outside forces. Equipment failures and maintenance usually contribute less to capacity factor reduction than the innate variation of the power source. In photovoltaics , capacity is rated under Standard Test Conditions usually expressed as watt-peak (W p ). In addition, a PV system 's nameplate capacity
32-436: Is sometimes denoted by a subindex, for example, MW DC or MW AC , to identify the raw DC power or converted AC power output. The term is connected with nameplates on electrical generators as these plates describing the model name and manufacturer usually also contain the rated output, but the rated output of a power station to the electrical grid is invariably less than the generator nameplate capacity, because
40-448: Is the intended full-load sustained output of a facility such as a power station , electric generator , a chemical plant , fuel plant, mine, metal refinery, and many others. Nameplate capacity is the theoretical output registered with authorities for classifying the unit. For intermittent power sources , such as wind and solar, nameplate power is the source's output under ideal conditions, such as maximum usable wind or high sun on
48-517: The internal technical capability of the plant to maintain output for a reasonable amount of time (for example, a day), neither momentarily nor permanently, and without considering external events such as lack of fuel or internal events such as maintenance. Actual output can be different from nameplate capacity for a number of reasons depending on equipment and circumstances. For non-dispatchable power , particularly renewable energy , nameplate capacity refers to generation under ideal conditions. Output
56-454: The last three units were installed. The last units were installed in 1952. When first constructed, operating staff lived in the townsite ( Seven Sisters, Manitoba ), but the plant was automated in the 1970s and put under remote control, requiring a much smaller on-site staff. Nameplate capacity Nameplate capacity , also known as the rated capacity , nominal capacity , installed capacity , maximum effect or Gross Capacity ,
64-645: The station is 1,146 cubic metres per second, with a total drop from forebay to tailrace of 18.6 metres. The station has a 225 metre-long spillway. The forebay nominal elevation is 274.2 metres AMSL and the forebay area is 21 square kilometres. The forebay is retained by more than 12 km of dykes. Construction of the station by the Winnipeg Electric Company (now a part of Manitoba Hydro) started in 1929, with first power in 1931, producing 75 megawatts from three vertical turbine-generator units. The second stage of construction began in 1948, when
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