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NOTES
ENERGY UNITS AND CONVERSION FACTORS
METRIC PREFIXES
kilo (k) = 10 3
mega (M) = 10 6
giga (G) = 10 9
tera (T) = 10 12
peta (P) = 10 15
exa (E) = 10 18
VOLUME
1 m 3 = 1,000 litres (l)
1 US gallon = 3.78 l
1 Imperial gallon = 4.55 l
Example:
1 TJ = 1,000 GJ = 1,000,000 MJ = 1,000,000,000 kJ = 1,000,000,000,000 J = 1012 J
1 J = 0.001 MJ = 0.000001 GJ = 0.000000001 TJ
ENERGY UNIT CONVERSION
Multiply by: GJ Toe MBtu MWh
GJ 1 0.024 0.948 0.278
Toe 41.868 1 39.683 11.630
MBtu 1.055 0.025 1 0.293
MWh 3.600 0.086 3.412 1
Toe = tonnes oil equivalent
1 Mtoe = 41.9 PJ
Example: 1 MWh x 3.600 = 3.6 GJ
HEAT OF COMBUSTION (HIGH HEAT VALUES)
1 l ethanol = 84,530 Btu / US gallon = 21.2 MJ / l
1 l biodiesel = 127,960 Btu / US gallon = 32.1 MJ / l
Example:
1) These values can vary with fuel and
temperature.
2) Around 1.5 litres of ethanol is required
to equate to 1 litre of gasoline.
3) Heat values from U.S. Department of
Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center.
SOLAR THERMAL HEAT SYSTEMS
1 million m² = 0.7 GW th
Used where solar thermal heat data have been converted
from square metres (m²) into gigawatts thermal (GW th),
by accepted convention.
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