In electrical engineering, the terms power and energy are commonly used. While laypeople often use them interchangeably, they are not the same. So, what’s the difference? Let’s find out.
We have seen what is voltage and current.
Voltage, or potential difference, refers to the difference in electric potential between two points in an electric field. It represents the work done in moving a unit charge from one point to another with a higher potential. The potential difference is defined as 1 volt when 1 joule of work is done to move 1 coulomb of charge between two points.
Electric current is defined as the rate at which electric charges flow through a conductor.
Electrical Power
In physics, power is defined as the rate of doing work. It also refers to the rate at which energy is consumed.
Note: In physics, the term ‘rate of’ always implies a comparison with time, meaning the quantity is divided by time.
This means that Power = Voltage x Current
From Ohm’s Law, V = IR
The SI unit of power is the watt (W). One watt of power is consumed when one joule of work is done in one second. For commercial purposes, larger units such as kilowatt (kW), megawatt (MW), and gigawatt (GW) are commonly used.
As we can see from above, 1 watt can be expressed as-
1W = 1 V x 1 A
-or-
1 W = 1 J/1 s
Electrical Energy
Energy is the capacity to do work. Since power is the rate of doing work, we can say power is the rate of energy consumption.
Power = Energy/time
Energy = Power x time
SI unit of energy is joule. 1 J = 1 watt x 1 sec
Commercial unit of energy is kWh or kilowatt-hour
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