What is Terawatt-Hour (TWh)?

A terawatt-hour (TWh) is a unit of energy that represents one trillion watts of power used for one hour, and it equals 3.6 × 10¹⁵ joules. A terawatt-hour (TWh) is a unit of energy equal to one trillion watt-hours.

1 TWh = 1,000,000,000,000 Wh = 3.6 × 10¹⁵ joules = 3.6 petajoules (PJ).
(For comparison, 1 kWh = 3.6 × 10⁶ joules = 3.6 megajoules.)

This value is sufficiently large to represent the annual electricity generation of entire countries and is commonly used to describe significant energy production or consumption.

The value is equivalent to 1,000,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) or 1,000,000,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) as well. One kilowatt-hour represents a consistent power of one kilowatt operating for a duration of one hour.

Applications of TWh

Terawatt-hours are a unit of measurement used to quantify the amount of electricity or heat generated. In practical applications, it is commonly employed to facilitate comprehension of large quantities of electrical energy.

For example, in 2022, electricity consumption in the United States is predicted to reach 4,010 terawatt-hours. The residential sector is responsible for a significant portion of this consumption, closely followed by the commercial sector. Heating and cooling appliances make up a significant portion of residential electricity consumption.

Terawatt-Hour to Common Energy Units

Here are the conversions of one terawatt-hour (TWh) to various energy units.

1 TWh	3.6E+15 joules (J)
1 TWh	3600000000000 kilojoules (kJ)
1 TWh	8.604206500956E+14 calories (cal)
1 TWh	860420650095.6 kilocalories (kcal)
1 TWh	2.2469385462308E+34 electron volt (eV)
1 TWh	1000000000000 watt hour (Wh)
1 TWh	8.2573655700885E+32 atomic unit of energy (au)
1 TWh	860420.6500956 tons of TNT (tTNT)
1 TWh	2.6552237373982E+15 foot pound force (ft Ibf)
1 TWh	3.6E+22 ergs (ergs)