Kilowatt-hours to Gigajoules conversion

Kilowatt-hours to Gigajoules conversion table

Kilowatt-hours (kWh)Gigajoules (GJ)
00
10.0036
20.0072
30.0108
40.0144
50.018
60.0216
70.0252
80.0288
90.0324
100.036
200.072
300.108
400.144
500.18
600.216
700.252
800.288
900.324
1000.36
10003.6

How to convert kilowatt-hours to gigajoules?

To convert kilowatt-hours (kWh) to gigajoules (GJ), you can use the following conversion factors:

  • 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) = 3.6 megajoules (MJ)
  • 1 gigajoule (GJ) = 1,000 megajoules (MJ)

Given these conversion factors, you can convert 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) to gigajoules (GJ) through the intermediate step of converting to megajoules:

Step-by-Step Conversion:

  1. Convert kilowatt-hours to megajoules: 1 kWh × 3.6 MJ/kWh = 3.6 MJ

  2. Convert megajoules to gigajoules: 3.6 MJ ÷ 1,000 MJ/GJ = 0.0036 GJ

Therefore, 1 kWh is equivalent to 0.0036 GJ.

Real-World Examples for Different Quantities of Kilowatt-hours

Let's look at some real-world examples of energy consumption in kilowatt-hours and their equivalent in gigajoules:

  1. Household Electricity Usage:

    • Monthly usage for an average household: 900 kWh
    • In gigajoules: 900 kWh × 0.0036 GJ/kWh = 3.24 GJ
  2. Electric Car Battery:

    • Battery capacity for a Tesla Model S: around 100 kWh
    • In gigajoules: 100 kWh × 0.0036 GJ/kWh = 0.36 GJ
  3. Annual Global Energy Consumption:

    • World energy consumption in 2019: approximately 162,000 TWh (terawatt-hours)
    • Convert terawatt-hours to kilowatt-hours: 162,000 TWh × 1,000,000 kWh/TWh = 1.62 × 10¹¹ kWh
    • In gigajoules: 1.62 × 10¹¹ kWh × 0.0036 GJ/kWh = 5.832 × 10⁸ GJ (or 583,200,000 GJ)
  4. Laptop Battery:

    • Typical laptop battery: about 0.05 kWh
    • In gigajoules: 0.05 kWh × 0.0036 GJ/kWh = 0.00018 GJ
  5. Industrial Machine Usage:

    • Heavy industrial machine used for 10 hours per day at 100 kW:
      • Daily consumption: 10 hours × 100 kW = 1,000 kWh
      • In gigajoules: 1,000 kWh × 0.0036 GJ/kWh = 3.6 GJ

These examples illustrate how kilowatt-hours can be converted into gigajoules and give you an idea of the energy involved in various applications and contexts.

See below section for step by step unit conversion with formulas and explanations. Please refer to the table below for a list of all the Gigajoules to other unit conversions.

What is kilowatt-hours?

A Kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy and its units, kWh, are formed with W for watt and h for hour from SI unit system combined with letter k, metric prefix, for 1,000 or 10310^3. Its definition, in the context of electricity, is the energy of one watt power flowing for one hour.

Followings equivalent equations are identical but in different units. Please note that factor 10310^3 is representing Kilo prefix in kWh unit.

1kWh=103Pt=103IVt=3600103J=2.2471022103eV=8.598105103cal1 kWh = 10^3*Pt = 10^3*IVt = 3600 * 10^3*J = 2.247 * 10^{22} * 10^3 eV = 8.598*10^5 * 10^3 cal

PPowerP - Power
tTime (in hours. Multiply by 3600 to convert to seconds)t - Time \text{ (in hours. Multiply by 3600 to convert to seconds)}
ICurrentI - Current VVoltsV - Volts
JJoulesJ - Joules
eVElectronvolteV - Electronvolt
calCaloriescal - Calories

Wikipedia page for Kilowatt-hour (watt-hour redirected to kWh) UCI article on Energy Units and Conversions Ian Woofenden's explanation on difference between Watts and Watt-Hours

What is gigajoules?

A gigajoule (GJ) is a unit of energy, specifically a large unit of measurement for electrical and thermal energy.

One gigajoule is equal to one billion joules. To put that in perspective:

  • 1 joule is the amount of energy required to lift an object weighing about 2 pounds up 3 feet.
  • 1 megajoule (MJ) is equal to 1 million joules, which is a significant amount of energy but still relatively small compared to what we use on a daily basis.
  • 1 gigajoule (GJ), on the other hand, is equivalent to:
    • About 277.8 kilowatt-hours (kWh) or 0.2778 megawatt-hours (MWh).
    • The energy produced by burning about 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of gasoline.
    • Enough electricity to power a typical household for about 24 hours.

Gigajoules are often used in the context of:

  • Energy production and consumption (e.g., electrical power plants, oil refineries)
  • Thermal energy storage (e.g., large-scale heat pumps, industrial processes)
  • Renewable energy sources (e.g., solar panels, wind turbines)

I hope that helps you understand gigajoules better!

Complete Kilowatt-hours conversion table

Enter # of Kilowatt-hours
Convert 1 kWh to other unitsResult
Kilowatt-hours to Watt-seconds (kWh to Ws)3600000
Kilowatt-hours to Watt-minutes (kWh to Wm)60000
Kilowatt-hours to Watt-hours (kWh to Wh)1000
Kilowatt-hours to Milliwatt-hours (kWh to mWh)1000000
Kilowatt-hours to Megawatt-hours (kWh to MWh)0.001
Kilowatt-hours to Gigawatt-hours (kWh to GWh)0.000001
Kilowatt-hours to Joules (kWh to J)3600000
Kilowatt-hours to Kilojoules (kWh to kJ)3600
Kilowatt-hours to Megajoules (kWh to MJ)3.6
Kilowatt-hours to Gigajoules (kWh to GJ)0.0036
Kilowatt-hours to calories (kWh to cal)860420.6500956
Kilowatt-hours to Kilocalories (kWh to kcal)860.4206500956