To make our full data entry on Energy Production & Changing Energy Sources as useful and clear as possible, we have standardized all of our energy data into a single energy unit: the watt-hour (Wh). Secondly, we begin quoting big numbers in the order of millions and billions without a sense of scale: is the unit equivalent to one, ten, or one hundred coal-fired power stations? Thirdly, we lose perspective on the equivalence between electrical energy production and consumption: how many people could a wind or solar farm provide for?
Firstly, units are often quoted inconsistently: we switch between watt-hours, kilograms of oil equivalent, joules, and even more confusingly, units of power. Often, the root of this confusion lies in the choice of units and scale. This article was published in 2017, and will not be updated with more recent data.ĭiscussions about energy and electricity can be confusing.
