List of Energy Abbreviations, Full Forms, and Details

79 Energy Abbreviations, their Full Forms, and  Details


Electricity, fuel types, and renewable energy sources are commonly discussed concepts in science and everyday life. However, the technical terms and abbreviations used can sometimes be unfamiliar or unclear. Having a good understanding of common energy abbreviations and what they stand for helps in following technical discussions and making informed choices regarding energy use and policy.

 This brief guide provides an overview of some frequent energy abbreviations along with their full forms and related details. 

For Example


Abbreviation: kWh

Full Form: Kilowatt-hour

Details: A kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy equal to 1000 watt-hours and is commonly used to quantify amounts of electric energy consumed. Residential electricity bills typically list usage in kWh.


Abbreviation: MWh

Full Form: Megawatt-hour

Details: A megawatt-hour is equal to 1000 kilowatt-hours and is used to measure larger amounts of electricity production/consumption, such as by utility companies.


Abbreviation:     BTU

Full Form:           British Thermal Unit

Details:               A BTU is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1°F and is often used to compare heating values of fuels.


Abbreviation:         MMBtu

Full Form:              Million BTUs

Details:                 A unit equal to one million BTUs, commonly used when referring to large quantities of fuel.


Abbreviation:         W

Full Form:             Watt

Details:                 A unit of power equal to one joule of work per second. Used to rate the power of appliances, solar panels, etc.


Abbreviation:      kW

Full Form:           Kilowatt

Details:              Equal to 1000 watts and used to express larger amounts of power.


Abbreviation:      MW

Full Form:            Megawatt

Details:                Equal to 1000 kilowatts and used to rate large power facilities like power plants.


That covers some of the most common energy abbreviations used. Understanding their meanings provides important context for various energy-related topics.


79 Energy related Abbreviations, Acronyms , Full Forms 

AEC - Atomic Energy Commission     :Government agency overseeing nuclear energy and research.

BOE -  Barrel of Oil Equivalent        :Measures energy in different fuel forms.

Battery Percentage (%)     :Indicates remaining device battery energy.

BEV -    Battery Electric Vehicle    :Fully electric vehicle powered by batteries.

BHP -  Brake Horsepower        : Measurement of engine power output.

BTU -  British Thermal Unit        : Measures heat energy.

BTU/lb -  Btu per Pound     :  Energy content of materials.

Calorie (cal)        : Energy content of food and drinks.

Cal/g -  Calorie per Gram: Energy density of food.

Cal/min - Calorie per Minute: Energy expenditure during activities.

CCS - Carbon Capture and Storage: Technology to reduce carbon emissions.

CHP -   Combined Heat and Power: Simultaneous electricity and heat generation.

CNG -  Compressed Natural Gas: Natural gas stored under high pressure.

COP - Coefficient of Performance: Efficiency measure for heating and cooling systems.

dB -  Decibel: Measures sound intensity.

DER - Distributed Energy Resources: Decentralized energy sources.

DOE - Department of Energy    : Government agency overseeing energy policies.

EER - Energy Efficiency Ratio    : Cooling efficiency metric.

EGS - Enhanced Geothermal Systems    : Advanced geothermal technology.

EIA -   Energy Information Administration    : Collects energy data and statistics.

eV -  Electronvolt        : Energy unit at atomic scale.

EMF -  Electromotive Force    : Voltage potential in electrical circuits.

Enthalpy (H)            : Total heat content in a system.

Erg (erg)                    : Small unit of energy.

Erg/s -  Erg per Second    : Energy transfer rate.

EROI -  Energy Return on Investment    : Energy production efficiency.

FCEV -  Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle    : Electric vehicle using fuel cells.

FERC -  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Regulatory agency for energy.

ft-lbf - Foot-pound force    : Energy unit in Imperial system.

GJ - Gigajoule            : Large energy unit.

GJ/km - Gigajoule per Kilometer: Energy consumption per distance.

GW - Gigawatt                    : Large power measurement.

GWh - Gigawatt-hour        : Large energy measurement.

HEP - Hydroelectric Power: Electricity from moving water.

hp - Horsepower                : Engine power measurement.

hph - Horsepower-hour    : Energy measured in horsepower over time.

HSPF - Heating Seasonal Performance Factor: Heating efficiency metric.

IEA - International Energy Agency: Energy cooperation and research organization.

IPP - Independent Power Producer    : Generates electricity for sale.

J - Joule    : SI unit of energy.

kcal - Kilocalorie    : Nutritional energy unit.

kg - Kilogram    : Mass unit linked to potential energy.

kgf-m - Kilogram Force Meter    : Work or energy unit.

kpm - Kilopond-Meter    : Work or energy unit.

kWh - Kilowatt-hour    : Energy measurement for electricity use.

kWh/mi - Kilowatt-hour per Mile    : EV energy consumption metric.

kWh/yr - Kilowatt-hour per Year    : Annual energy estimation.

kJ/mol - Kilojoules per mole    : Energy per molecular unit.

kWp - Kilowatt Peak    : Maximum solar panel capacity.

LCOE - Levelized Cost of Electricity: Electricity cost metric.

MCal - Megacalorie    : Large unit for food energy.

MJ - Megajoule    : Large energy unit.

MWh - Megawatt-hour    : Large energy unit.

Nm - Newton-meter    : Work or energy unit.

NREL - National Renewable Energy Laboratory    : Renewable energy research institution.

OPEC - Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries    : Oil-producing nations' coalition.

OTEC - Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion: Generates power from ocean temperature differences.

Pa - Pascal    : Unit of pressure.

PHEV - Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle : Hybrid vehicle with rechargeable battery.

h - Planck's Constant    : Relates photon energy to frequency.

PV - Photovoltaic    : Converts sunlight into electricity.

QP - Quadrillion BTUs    : Huge energy quantity unit.

RE - Renewable Energy    : Sustainable energy from natural resources.

REC - Renewable Energy Certificate    : Confirms use of renewable energy.

RES - Renewable Energy Source    : Natural energy generation.

RPS - Renewable Portfolio Standard    : Mandates renewable energy use.

SEER - Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio    : Cooling efficiency metric.

T&D - Transmission and Distribution    : Energy transportation systems.

thm - Therm    : Heat energy unit.

kBOE - Thousand Barrels of Oil Equivalent    : Energy in terms of oil.

TCE - Ton of Coal Equivalent    : Energy in terms of coal.

TWh - Terawatt-hour    : Enormous energy unit.

U-Value                    : Thermal transmittance measurement.

VAWT - Vertical Axis Wind Turbine    : Wind energy technology.

VOC - Volatile Organic Compounds    : Pollutants released from materials.

W/m² - Watts per square meter    : Energy intensity measurement.

W - Watt                                    : Power measurement.

WEC - World Energy Council    : Global energy organization.

WtE - Waste-to-Energy            : Generates energy from waste materials.


Some Abbreviations with brief Explanation

Here are some summarized notes on common energy abbreviations and their full forms:

BTU - British Thermal Unit: A common unit of energy equal to approximate amount of heat required to raise temperature of 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.

MJ - Megajoule: A unit of energy equal to one million joules. Often used to measure energy content of fuels and electricity consumption. 1 MJ = approx. 947 BTU.

kWh - Kilowatt-hour: A unit of energy equal to using 1 kilowatt of power for 1 hour. Common unit to measure electricity use and cost. 1 kWh = approx. 3,412 BTU.

CF - Cubic Feet: A volumetric unit used to measure natural gas. Marketed in therms or MMbtu content per CF. 1 CF = approx. 1,026 BTU at 70°F.

Therm - Thermal Unit: Equivalent to 100,000 British Thermal Units (BTU). Commonly used to measure and sell natural gas residential/commercial consumption.

MMBtu - Million British Thermal Units: Common unit to measure energy content/value of fossil fuels like natural gas, propane, fuel oil. 1 MMBtu = approx. 1,000 therms or 1,000 CF of natural gas.

GJ - Gigajoule: Equal to one billion (109) joules. Used internationally for bioenergy potential and large scale energy flows from sources to end use. 1 GJ = 948,000 BTU.

HP - Horsepower: A unit of power equivalent to work done by one horse in one second. Often used to designate engine/motor output capacity. 1 HP = approx. 746 watts or 2,544 BTU/hour.

Tonne of Oil Equivalent (toe): A standardized unit approximately equal to the energy content of one tonne of crude oil. Commonly used in national/international energy statistics. 1 toe = approx. 11,630 kWh or 39,680 MJ.

Calorie - A calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. Often used in nutrition labeling.

Food calorie (kilocalorie) - Equal to 1,000 smaller calories and often labeled just as a "Calorie" on food packaging. Properly written as "Cal" or "kcal".

Electron volt (eV) - A unit used to measure energy at the microscopic scale, especially relating to atomic and molecular phenomena. 1 eV is equal to approximately 1.6×10−19 Joules.

Watt (W) - The SI unit of power which measures the rate of energy transfer or usage. 1 Watt is equal to 1 Joule per second. Commonly seen on appliances.

Watt-hour (Wh) - A unit of energy equal to the work done by 1 Watt of power in 1 hour. Used along with Watts to measure total energy used.

Horsepower (hp) - A non-SI unit of power still commonly used, especially for engines. Equal to approximately 746 Watts or 2,650 BTU per hour.

Thermie (Th) - A metric unit equal to 1,000,000,000 (1 billion) calories. Used in science and research contexts to quantify large energy amounts.

Solar constant (Sk) - The average amount of solar electromagnetic radiation striking the Earth's upper atmosphere, measured as approximately 1,366 W/m2.

Joule (J) - The SI derived unit of energy. Provides a standardized way to quantify the work done, heat involved, or other energy changes in a system.

So in summary, the appropriate unit depends on the scale, state and nature of the specific energy being measured or quantified.

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