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.
A megajoule, equivalent to one million joules, is a versatile unit of energy that may be more integral to your daily life than you realize. For instance, the energy stored in a liter of gasoline is approximately 34.2 megajoules, which is why this measure often underpins discussions in energy industries. Interestingly, the lightning bolt that splits the sky during a thunderstorm releases about 500 megajoules, highlighting the immense power nature can unleash in mere seconds.
The megajoule also plays a pivotal role in fields like physics and engineering, especially in calculating the energy output of various processes. For example, modern fusion experiments and some space missions use megajoules to quantify energy needs and outputs. This essential unit connects the dots between cutting-edge technology and natural phenomena, providing insights into the world’s invisible energies.
Megawatt-hours | Megajoules |
---|---|
0
MWh
|
0
MJ
|
0.1
MWh
|
360
MJ
|
0.2
MWh
|
720
MJ
|
0.3
MWh
|
1080
MJ
|
0.4
MWh
|
1440
MJ
|
0.5
MWh
|
1800
MJ
|
0.6
MWh
|
2160
MJ
|
0.7
MWh
|
2520
MJ
|
0.8
MWh
|
2880
MJ
|
0.9
MWh
|
3240
MJ
|
1
MWh
|
3600
MJ
|
1.1
MWh
|
3960
MJ
|
1.2
MWh
|
4320
MJ
|
1.3
MWh
|
4680
MJ
|
1.4
MWh
|
5040
MJ
|
1.5
MWh
|
5400
MJ
|
1.6
MWh
|
5760
MJ
|
1.7
MWh
|
6120
MJ
|
1.8
MWh
|
6480
MJ
|
1.9
MWh
|
6840
MJ
|
2
MWh
|
7200
MJ
|
2.1
MWh
|
7560
MJ
|
2.2
MWh
|
7920
MJ
|
2.3
MWh
|
8280
MJ
|
2.4
MWh
|
8640
MJ
|
2.5
MWh
|
9000
MJ
|
2.6
MWh
|
9360
MJ
|
2.7
MWh
|
9720
MJ
|
2.8
MWh
|
10080
MJ
|
2.9
MWh
|
10440
MJ
|
3
MWh
|
10800
MJ
|
3.1
MWh
|
11160
MJ
|
3.2
MWh
|
11520
MJ
|
3.3
MWh
|
11880
MJ
|
3.4
MWh
|
12240
MJ
|
3.5
MWh
|
12600
MJ
|
3.6
MWh
|
12960
MJ
|
3.7
MWh
|
13320
MJ
|
3.8
MWh
|
13680
MJ
|
3.9
MWh
|
14040
MJ
|
4
MWh
|
14400
MJ
|
4.1
MWh
|
14760
MJ
|
4.2
MWh
|
15120
MJ
|
4.3
MWh
|
15480
MJ
|
4.4
MWh
|
15840
MJ
|
4.5
MWh
|
16200
MJ
|
4.6
MWh
|
16560
MJ
|
4.7
MWh
|
16920
MJ
|
4.8
MWh
|
17280
MJ
|
4.9
MWh
|
17640
MJ
|
5
MWh
|
18000
MJ
|
5.1
MWh
|
18360
MJ
|
5.2
MWh
|
18720
MJ
|
5.3
MWh
|
19080
MJ
|
5.4
MWh
|
19440
MJ
|
5.5
MWh
|
19800
MJ
|
5.6
MWh
|
20160
MJ
|
5.7
MWh
|
20520
MJ
|
5.8
MWh
|
20880
MJ
|
5.9
MWh
|
21240
MJ
|
6
MWh
|
21600
MJ
|
6.1
MWh
|
21960
MJ
|
6.2
MWh
|
22320
MJ
|
6.3
MWh
|
22680
MJ
|
6.4
MWh
|
23040
MJ
|
6.5
MWh
|
23400
MJ
|
6.6
MWh
|
23760
MJ
|
6.7
MWh
|
24120
MJ
|
6.8
MWh
|
24480
MJ
|
6.9
MWh
|
24840
MJ
|
7
MWh
|
25200
MJ
|
7.1
MWh
|
25560
MJ
|
7.2
MWh
|
25920
MJ
|
7.3
MWh
|
26280
MJ
|
7.4
MWh
|
26640
MJ
|
7.5
MWh
|
27000
MJ
|
7.6
MWh
|
27360
MJ
|
7.7
MWh
|
27720
MJ
|
7.8
MWh
|
28080
MJ
|
7.9
MWh
|
28440
MJ
|
8
MWh
|
28800
MJ
|
8.1
MWh
|
29160
MJ
|
8.2
MWh
|
29520
MJ
|
8.3
MWh
|
29880
MJ
|
8.4
MWh
|
30240
MJ
|
8.5
MWh
|
30600
MJ
|
8.6
MWh
|
30960
MJ
|
8.7
MWh
|
31320
MJ
|
8.8
MWh
|
31680
MJ
|
8.9
MWh
|
32040
MJ
|
9
MWh
|
32400
MJ
|
9.1
MWh
|
32760
MJ
|
9.2
MWh
|
33120
MJ
|
9.3
MWh
|
33480
MJ
|
9.4
MWh
|
33840
MJ
|
9.5
MWh
|
34200
MJ
|
9.6
MWh
|
34560
MJ
|
9.7
MWh
|
34920
MJ
|
9.8
MWh
|
35280
MJ
|
9.9
MWh
|
35640
MJ
|
10
MWh
|
36000
MJ
|
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