Convert Kilocalories to Megawatt-Hours

Convert Kilocalories (kcal) to Megawatt-Hours (MWh) instantly and accurately.

Kilocalories (kcal)
Megawatt-Hours (MWh)

Conversion Formula

MWh = kcal × 1.162222222e-6

About Kilocalories

A kilocalorie (kcal) - the food Calorie (capital C) on US and Canadian nutrition labels - is exactly 4,184 J. WHO recommends ~2,000-2,500 kcal/day for adults. Energy density of nutrients: fat 9 kcal/g, carbohydrate 4 kcal/g, protein 4 kcal/g, ethanol 7 kcal/g. Running at 10 km/h burns ~600-800 kcal/h. Standard free energy of ATP hydrolysis is approximately −7.3 kcal/mol (−30.5 kJ/mol). Pre-SI thermodynamic tables in the US and Japan use kcal/mol for reaction enthalpies. 1 kcal = 4,184 J = 4.184 kJ = 3.968 BTU = 1.163 Wh.

About Megawatt-Hours

A megawatt-hour (MWh) is the energy from 1 MW for one hour - exactly 3.6 GJ. It is the standard unit for wholesale electricity trading. Power purchase agreements (PPAs) specify capacity and price in $/MWh or €/MWh. A 5 MW wind turbine at full capacity generates 5 MWh/h. Primary aluminium smelting consumes 13-15 MWh per tonne. The Moss Landing battery (California) stores 3,287 MWh. The daily output of a 1 GW nuclear plant at 90% capacity factor is ~21,600 MWh. 1 MWh = 3.6 GJ = 3,412,141 BTU = 1,000 kWh.

Quick Reference Table

Kilocalories (kcal)Megawatt-Hours (MWh)
1 kcal1.162 × 10-6 MWh
2 kcal2.324 × 10-6 MWh
5 kcal5.811 × 10-6 MWh
10 kcal1.162 × 10-5 MWh
25 kcal2.906 × 10-5 MWh
50 kcal5.811 × 10-5 MWh
100 kcal0.000116222 MWh

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