Convert Megawatt-Hours to Petajoules
Convert Megawatt-Hours (MWh) to Petajoules (PJ) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
PJ = MWh × 3.600000000e-6
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.
About Petajoules
A petajoule (PJ) is 10¹⁵ J - the national energy policy scale. IEA reports primary energy in PJ/year: Sweden ~600 PJ; Germany ~12,500 PJ; the United States ~93,000 PJ. World total primary energy supply is ~605,000 PJ = 605 EJ. The 1883 Krakatoa eruption released ~200 PJ ≈ 48 megatons TNT. A 1-megaton nuclear weapon releases 4.184 PJ. Global annual steel production embeds ~38,000-47,000 PJ of energy. 1 PJ = 10¹⁵ J = 277.78 GWh = 238.85 ktoe = 23.88 ktoe.
Quick Reference Table
| Megawatt-Hours (MWh) | Petajoules (PJ) |
|---|---|
| 1 MWh | 3.6 × 10-6 PJ |
| 2 MWh | 7.2 × 10-6 PJ |
| 5 MWh | 1.8 × 10-5 PJ |
| 10 MWh | 3.6 × 10-5 PJ |
| 25 MWh | 9 × 10-5 PJ |
| 50 MWh | 0.00018 PJ |
| 100 MWh | 0.00036 PJ |