What is a Kilowatt (kW) and Kilowatt-hour (kWh) and why should I know it?

As the world is starting to transform into a greener and more sustainable world, renewable energy such as solar is substituting more and more traditional energy at the minute. When encountering solar energy and storing solar energy, you will see the unit kW and kWh almost everywhere. This article will explain that in detail.

What is a Kilowatt-hour (kWh)

A Kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of the total amount of energy stored. It is the size of the battery's fuel tank and tells you how long the battery can power your home. For example, a battery with 10 kWh can power a 1 kW appliance for 10 hours or power a 2 kW appliance for 5 hours.

What is a Kilowatt (kW)

A Kilowatt (kW) is a unit of the rate at which energy can be used or delivered. It tells you how many appliances you can run at the same time. Think of kWh as a water tank and kW is the width of the pipe coming out. A bigger pipe (kW) can deliver more water and faster.

How Many Home Appliances Can 10 kW Power?

10 kW could power the appliances below that average households would own simultaneously (not including startup surges).

Ten LED lights (0.1 kW), Two TVs (0.2 kW), a refrigerator (0.2 kW), a air conditioner (3.5 kW), a microwave (1.0 kW), and an electric dryer (5.0 kW).

How Many Solar Panels are Needed to Produce 1 Kilowatt?

To produce 1 Kilowatt of power, around 2 to 4 solar panels are needed, depending the sunlight conditions and solar panel outputs. Solar panels in the market generates between 250 to 500 watts. For example, using 500-watt panels would require 2 panels to reach 1 Kilowatt capacity.

How to Store 1 kWh of Energy?

To store 1 Kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy, a small-scale residential Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is required. For example, GSL Energy offers 5 kWh, 10kWh, and 14 kWh wall-mount BESS which are all suitable for households to store well over 1 kWh power as backup power, to peak shave cutting energy costs and reduce energy dependency to the grid.

Overall

Differentiating kW and kWh and knowing what they are prevents under-sizing system that does not meet your expectations. Contact GSL Energy to help you design the exclusive perfect system for you.