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 watt-second is a unit of energy that represents the amount of work done when a power of one watt is sustained for one second. This unit is a direct way to visualize energy transfer in everyday activities. Interestingly, while it may sound abstract, this unit can be directly applied to understand how quick appliances like LED lights or small electronic devices consume energy. For example, a modern LED bulb that consumes 10 watts of power will use 10 watt-seconds of energy every second it is on.
While commonly overshadowed by the more familiar joule, the watt-second is essentially equivalent to one joule. Its simplicity in denoting power over time makes it a cornerstone concept in physics and engineering, where it is applied to calculate specific energy transfers and efficiency in varied systems. Exploring this unit helps bridge the gap between theoretical energy calculations and practical everyday energy use.
| Megawatt-hours | Watt-seconds |
|---|---|
0
MWh
|
0
Ws
|
0.1
MWh
|
3.6e+8
Ws
|
0.2
MWh
|
7.2e+8
Ws
|
0.3
MWh
|
1.08e+9
Ws
|
0.4
MWh
|
1.44e+9
Ws
|
0.5
MWh
|
1.8e+9
Ws
|
0.6
MWh
|
2.16e+9
Ws
|
0.7
MWh
|
2.52e+9
Ws
|
0.8
MWh
|
2.88e+9
Ws
|
0.9
MWh
|
3.24e+9
Ws
|
1
MWh
|
3.6e+9
Ws
|
1.1
MWh
|
3.96e+9
Ws
|
1.2
MWh
|
4.32e+9
Ws
|
1.3
MWh
|
4.68e+9
Ws
|
1.4
MWh
|
5.04e+9
Ws
|
1.5
MWh
|
5.4e+9
Ws
|
1.6
MWh
|
5.76e+9
Ws
|
1.7
MWh
|
6.12e+9
Ws
|
1.8
MWh
|
6.48e+9
Ws
|
1.9
MWh
|
6.84e+9
Ws
|
2
MWh
|
7.2e+9
Ws
|
2.1
MWh
|
7.56e+9
Ws
|
2.2
MWh
|
7.92e+9
Ws
|
2.3
MWh
|
8.28e+9
Ws
|
2.4
MWh
|
8.64e+9
Ws
|
2.5
MWh
|
9e+9
Ws
|
2.6
MWh
|
9.36e+9
Ws
|
2.7
MWh
|
9.72e+9
Ws
|
2.8
MWh
|
1.008e+10
Ws
|
2.9
MWh
|
1.044e+10
Ws
|
3
MWh
|
1.08e+10
Ws
|
3.1
MWh
|
1.116e+10
Ws
|
3.2
MWh
|
1.152e+10
Ws
|
3.3
MWh
|
1.188e+10
Ws
|
3.4
MWh
|
1.224e+10
Ws
|
3.5
MWh
|
1.26e+10
Ws
|
3.6
MWh
|
1.296e+10
Ws
|
3.7
MWh
|
1.332e+10
Ws
|
3.8
MWh
|
1.368e+10
Ws
|
3.9
MWh
|
1.404e+10
Ws
|
4
MWh
|
1.44e+10
Ws
|
4.1
MWh
|
1.476e+10
Ws
|
4.2
MWh
|
1.512e+10
Ws
|
4.3
MWh
|
1.548e+10
Ws
|
4.4
MWh
|
1.584e+10
Ws
|
4.5
MWh
|
1.62e+10
Ws
|
4.6
MWh
|
1.656e+10
Ws
|
4.7
MWh
|
1.692e+10
Ws
|
4.8
MWh
|
1.728e+10
Ws
|
4.9
MWh
|
1.764e+10
Ws
|
5
MWh
|
1.8e+10
Ws
|
5.1
MWh
|
1.836e+10
Ws
|
5.2
MWh
|
1.872e+10
Ws
|
5.3
MWh
|
1.908e+10
Ws
|
5.4
MWh
|
1.944e+10
Ws
|
5.5
MWh
|
1.98e+10
Ws
|
5.6
MWh
|
2.016e+10
Ws
|
5.7
MWh
|
2.052e+10
Ws
|
5.8
MWh
|
2.088e+10
Ws
|
5.9
MWh
|
2.124e+10
Ws
|
6
MWh
|
2.16e+10
Ws
|
6.1
MWh
|
2.196e+10
Ws
|
6.2
MWh
|
2.232e+10
Ws
|
6.3
MWh
|
2.268e+10
Ws
|
6.4
MWh
|
2.304e+10
Ws
|
6.5
MWh
|
2.34e+10
Ws
|
6.6
MWh
|
2.376e+10
Ws
|
6.7
MWh
|
2.412e+10
Ws
|
6.8
MWh
|
2.448e+10
Ws
|
6.9
MWh
|
2.484e+10
Ws
|
7
MWh
|
2.52e+10
Ws
|
7.1
MWh
|
2.556e+10
Ws
|
7.2
MWh
|
2.592e+10
Ws
|
7.3
MWh
|
2.628e+10
Ws
|
7.4
MWh
|
2.664e+10
Ws
|
7.5
MWh
|
2.7e+10
Ws
|
7.6
MWh
|
2.736e+10
Ws
|
7.7
MWh
|
2.772e+10
Ws
|
7.8
MWh
|
2.808e+10
Ws
|
7.9
MWh
|
2.844e+10
Ws
|
8
MWh
|
2.88e+10
Ws
|
8.1
MWh
|
2.916e+10
Ws
|
8.2
MWh
|
2.952e+10
Ws
|
8.3
MWh
|
2.988e+10
Ws
|
8.4
MWh
|
3.024e+10
Ws
|
8.5
MWh
|
3.06e+10
Ws
|
8.6
MWh
|
3.096e+10
Ws
|
8.7
MWh
|
3.132e+10
Ws
|
8.8
MWh
|
3.168e+10
Ws
|
8.9
MWh
|
3.204e+10
Ws
|
9
MWh
|
3.24e+10
Ws
|
9.1
MWh
|
3.276e+10
Ws
|
9.2
MWh
|
3.312e+10
Ws
|
9.3
MWh
|
3.348e+10
Ws
|
9.4
MWh
|
3.384e+10
Ws
|
9.5
MWh
|
3.42e+10
Ws
|
9.6
MWh
|
3.456e+10
Ws
|
9.7
MWh
|
3.492e+10
Ws
|
9.8
MWh
|
3.528e+10
Ws
|
9.9
MWh
|
3.564e+10
Ws
|
10
MWh
|
3.6e+10
Ws
|
If you like the website, share it on social media.