The megawatt-hour (MWh) is a unit of energy that measures electricity production, consumption, or energy flow over time. It is commonly used to bill large-scale electricity consumers, such as factories or entire cities. To put it into perspective, one megawatt-hour can power about 330 homes for an hour or a single home for 330 hours! In the realm of renewable energy, just one megawatt-hour of wind energy can offset over 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions—a significant environmental benefit.
Moreover, the world’s energy needs are so vast that in 2022, global electricity consumption soared to over 26,000 terawatt-hours (TWh), where one terawatt-hour equates to one million megawatt-hours. This highlights how crucial units like the MWh are in understanding and managing our energy use and impact.
The kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy that represents the amount of energy consumed or produced. Although commonly associated with electric bills, it has fascinating real-world applications. For example, one kWh can power a 100-watt incandescent light bulb for 10 hours or a modern energy-efficient LED bulb for around 50 hours. Interestingly, the kWh is not just for electricity—it’s also used in renewable energy systems to measure solar and wind power production efficiencies.
Beyond its practical uses, kilowatt-hours reveal intriguing insights into our energy consumption patterns. For instance, the average U.S. home consumes about 877 kWh per month, providing a benchmark for households exploring energy-saving measures. The kWh also serves as a universal language in global energy markets, standardizing costs and outputs across international borders.
| Megawatt-hours | Kilowatt-hours |
|---|---|
0
MWh
|
0
kWh
|
0.1
MWh
|
100
kWh
|
0.2
MWh
|
200
kWh
|
0.3
MWh
|
300
kWh
|
0.4
MWh
|
400
kWh
|
0.5
MWh
|
500
kWh
|
0.6
MWh
|
600
kWh
|
0.7
MWh
|
700
kWh
|
0.8
MWh
|
800
kWh
|
0.9
MWh
|
900
kWh
|
1
MWh
|
1000
kWh
|
1.1
MWh
|
1100
kWh
|
1.2
MWh
|
1200
kWh
|
1.3
MWh
|
1300
kWh
|
1.4
MWh
|
1400
kWh
|
1.5
MWh
|
1500
kWh
|
1.6
MWh
|
1600
kWh
|
1.7
MWh
|
1700
kWh
|
1.8
MWh
|
1800
kWh
|
1.9
MWh
|
1900
kWh
|
2
MWh
|
2000
kWh
|
2.1
MWh
|
2100
kWh
|
2.2
MWh
|
2200
kWh
|
2.3
MWh
|
2300
kWh
|
2.4
MWh
|
2400
kWh
|
2.5
MWh
|
2500
kWh
|
2.6
MWh
|
2600
kWh
|
2.7
MWh
|
2700
kWh
|
2.8
MWh
|
2800
kWh
|
2.9
MWh
|
2900
kWh
|
3
MWh
|
3000
kWh
|
3.1
MWh
|
3100
kWh
|
3.2
MWh
|
3200
kWh
|
3.3
MWh
|
3300
kWh
|
3.4
MWh
|
3400
kWh
|
3.5
MWh
|
3500
kWh
|
3.6
MWh
|
3600
kWh
|
3.7
MWh
|
3700
kWh
|
3.8
MWh
|
3800
kWh
|
3.9
MWh
|
3900
kWh
|
4
MWh
|
4000
kWh
|
4.1
MWh
|
4100
kWh
|
4.2
MWh
|
4200
kWh
|
4.3
MWh
|
4300
kWh
|
4.4
MWh
|
4400
kWh
|
4.5
MWh
|
4500
kWh
|
4.6
MWh
|
4600
kWh
|
4.7
MWh
|
4700
kWh
|
4.8
MWh
|
4800
kWh
|
4.9
MWh
|
4900
kWh
|
5
MWh
|
5000
kWh
|
5.1
MWh
|
5100
kWh
|
5.2
MWh
|
5200
kWh
|
5.3
MWh
|
5300
kWh
|
5.4
MWh
|
5400
kWh
|
5.5
MWh
|
5500
kWh
|
5.6
MWh
|
5600
kWh
|
5.7
MWh
|
5700
kWh
|
5.8
MWh
|
5800
kWh
|
5.9
MWh
|
5900
kWh
|
6
MWh
|
6000
kWh
|
6.1
MWh
|
6100
kWh
|
6.2
MWh
|
6200
kWh
|
6.3
MWh
|
6300
kWh
|
6.4
MWh
|
6400
kWh
|
6.5
MWh
|
6500
kWh
|
6.6
MWh
|
6600
kWh
|
6.7
MWh
|
6700
kWh
|
6.8
MWh
|
6800
kWh
|
6.9
MWh
|
6900
kWh
|
7
MWh
|
7000
kWh
|
7.1
MWh
|
7100
kWh
|
7.2
MWh
|
7200
kWh
|
7.3
MWh
|
7300
kWh
|
7.4
MWh
|
7400
kWh
|
7.5
MWh
|
7500
kWh
|
7.6
MWh
|
7600
kWh
|
7.7
MWh
|
7700
kWh
|
7.8
MWh
|
7800
kWh
|
7.9
MWh
|
7900
kWh
|
8
MWh
|
8000
kWh
|
8.1
MWh
|
8100
kWh
|
8.2
MWh
|
8200
kWh
|
8.3
MWh
|
8300
kWh
|
8.4
MWh
|
8400
kWh
|
8.5
MWh
|
8500
kWh
|
8.6
MWh
|
8600
kWh
|
8.7
MWh
|
8700
kWh
|
8.8
MWh
|
8800
kWh
|
8.9
MWh
|
8900
kWh
|
9
MWh
|
9000
kWh
|
9.1
MWh
|
9100
kWh
|
9.2
MWh
|
9200
kWh
|
9.3
MWh
|
9300
kWh
|
9.4
MWh
|
9400
kWh
|
9.5
MWh
|
9500
kWh
|
9.6
MWh
|
9600
kWh
|
9.7
MWh
|
9700
kWh
|
9.8
MWh
|
9800
kWh
|
9.9
MWh
|
9900
kWh
|
10
MWh
|
10000
kWh
|
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