The Australian Federal Solar Battery Rebate is Now Available
The Australian Federal Solar Battery Rebate is Now Available
Posted 15 Jul
When it comes to talking about electricity, many use the terms 'power' and 'energy' interchangeably, but did you know these actually
represent to different elements? It is important to understand these 2 terms, especially if you're looking at investing in solar, battery
storage, or electric vehicles and their charging.
To summarise the difference between power and energy, power is simply the rate of electricity, where energy represents the amount of time that power is being used.
Power = kW (Kilowatt)
Energy = kWh (Kilowatt-hour)
Measured in Watts (W), Kilowatts (kW), and Megawatts (MW), Power refers to the rate of where electricity is generated, consumed, or moved at this moment.
For example, a typical kettle consumes around 2-3kW of power to boil water. If you turn one on, it will consume up to 3kW of electricity to operate.
Another example could be a 10kW solar system, which has the capacity to produce up to 10kW of solar power when the sun is out.
Measured in kWh and MWh, Energy refers to the total amount of electricity used over an amount of time.
Whilst power talks about the usage in a moment of time, energy looks at the total power usage over its operation using kilowatt-hours.
Let's compare power vs. energy using the previous kettle analogy. If the kettle has been used for an hour, that 3kW of power
results in 3kWh of energy used.
Using the solar example, the system has a 10kW power capacity, which can generate up to 40kWh daily on average. This is calculated by the system capacity (kW) x sun exposure time.
10kW (power) system x 4 hours = 40kWh (energy) per day.
When looking into electric vehicles, you are met with technical specifications in battery capacity and charging rates, but how does that tie in with power and energy?
Every electric car's battery will have an energy capacity which is measured in kWh, usually around 20-80kWh depending on the model and type of EV.
When charging an electric vehicle, it is measured in kW of power, which determines the rate of power the charger can deliver to the EV's battery.
Charging an electric car with a 22kW charger will deliver 22kWh of energy after an hour of charging.
POWER (kW) |
ENERGY (kWh) |
| Solar Panels |
Battery Storage |
| EV Chargers | Electricity Bills |
| Solar Inverter |
Electric Vehicle Range |
| Generator Power Output | Daily Solar Production |
| Grid Connection Limits |
Feed-in-Tariffs |
| Power Ratings | General Household Consumption |
| Battery Charge/Discharge Rate | Backup Battery Duration |
Solar panels are measured in kilowatts (kW), which refers to a system's peak power output in full sun exposure. In areas throughout Australia, the average sunlight hours can vary which will affect solar production.
For battery fitted systems, the DC solar power is then stored in the solar battery storage. A Tesla Powerwall 3 stores 13.5kWh of energy, meaning you can power a 6.75kW load for up to 2 hours.
If you're producing 10kW of solar power over 2 hours and are storing it all away into high-capacity battery storage, you would store 20kWh of solar energy over the span of 2 hours at full production.
Because the sun is moving throughout the day, production will be much less early in the morning compared to midday, depending on system configuration.
Additionally, if you check your energy bill, you can see that your usage will be measured in kWh which is energy.
Both power and energy are essential to measuring electricity and component specifications throughout Australia, and can also help you understand your energy better.
Whether you're interested in getting a solar and battery system, you're a new electric vehicle owner, or just an avid reader looking to increase your electrical knowledge, you now know what the difference between energy and power is.
For more information and Newcastle and Maitland-based solar and battery installations, please get in contact with us.
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