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Construction Time Estimation Function for Canadian Utility Scale Power Plants

Author

Listed:
  • Herve Kabanda

    (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Alex Romard

    (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Fuze Yurtsever

    (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Anjali Wadhera

    (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada)

  • Joshua Andrews

    (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada)

  • Craig Merrett

    (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada)

Abstract

Construction time and time overruns for infrastructure projects have been frequently studied; however, the construction time of power plants has not been studied. This lack of study is problematic, as more renewable energy power plants, such as wind and solar, are planned for many jurisdictions. Accurately estimating the construction time of a power plant will assist construction planning, budget estimates, and policy development encouraging the use of more renewable sources. The construction times of utility scale power plants in Canada were studied using publicly available data. Multiple linear regression analysis techniques were applied to the data to generate construction time estimation functions for all power plants together, and for individual technologies. The analyses reveal that construction time is sensitive to jurisdiction and the decade of construction, indicating that decisions made by individual Canadian provincial governments at different times had statistically significant impacts on construction time. The analyses also indicated that construction time is a strong function of installed capacity, independent of technology. This finding suggests that large solar or wind energy facilities will encounter longer construction times similar to large hydroelectric facilities.

Suggested Citation

  • Herve Kabanda & Alex Romard & Fuze Yurtsever & Anjali Wadhera & Joshua Andrews & Craig Merrett, 2021. "Construction Time Estimation Function for Canadian Utility Scale Power Plants," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-16, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:17:p:5421-:d:626232
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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