UNITS OF

MEASUREMENT &
BASIC FORMULAE FOR
ENERGY & ELECTRICITY

Module 0
Solar PV Professional training
 • The principal concepts and laws
concerning energy and power.
• The concept of electricity including
OBJECTIVES: voltage, current, AC and DC current.
• The concept of electrical resistance
(voltage drops in cables).
• The principle units for measuring
energy, power, voltage and current.
• Standard representations of electrical
components.
• Simple electrical circuits.
• Use of multimeters in simple electrical
circuits (voltage and current
measurements).
 • Potential energy: An object or weight raised to
a certain height has energy. A compressed
Different • spring has energy. This potential energy is
stored and waiting to be released.
• Heat energy: Calorific energy is energy
Forms Of contained, for example, in a kettle filled with
hot
Energy • water. The hotter the water is, the more
energy it contains.
• Chemical energy: Chemical energy is stored in
fuels, such as gas or wood. The energy
• stored in a charged car battery or in a new
dry–cell is also chemical energy.
• Electrical energy : Electricity carries energy
from one place to another, for example from a
power station to a small town and then to
customers.
 • The sun’s rays reaching the Earth contain
energy. They bring changes to the Earth: they
• provide us with heat, they help plants to grow
and dry crops. Without the sun there would be
• no life on earth.
The Solar • The sun’s energy is carried in energy waves:
these waves are either visble ways, infra-red
Energy • waves or ultra-violet waves. It can also be
explained that solar energy is made of energy
• particles called photons travelling from the sun
to our earth. The term photovoltaic comes
• from the word photon.
 Energy
Conversion

Energy is constantly being transformed from one form to another.

Whenever this happens, people say that the energy is being ‘used’.
Example of a torch being switched on
 • Because systems often produce energy that
can not be used productively, we must then
determine how efficient an energy system
is. The formula for calculating energy
Energy efficiency is:
Efficiency (%) = Output x 100
efficiency Input
• Efficiency is always expressed as less than 1,
or less than 100%.
 Energy stored in wood or plants / solar energy
falling on the leaves = 1 to 4 %,
Examples of
Energy generated to move
energy automobiles/Energy Stored in Fuel = 60 – 80 %

efficiency Electrical energy from a solar cell / solar

energy falling on the cell = 5 to 25 %,

Electrical energy stored in a battery / Electrical

energy needed to recharge it = 75 to 95%.
 • Power is the rate at which work is being done.
Whether the work is done slowly or quickly, the
same quantity of energy is required.
• Consider two men, each cutting down a similar sized
tree. If one man cuts the tree in five minutes and the
other in 30 minutes, we can say the faster man has
What is more power. He is a more powerful man. However,
the energy required to cut the tree was the same for

power? •
both men as they have done the same job.
On a sunny day, wet clothes will dry faster than on a
cloudy day (i.ee. 2 hours instead of the whole day).
We can say that the sun has more power when there
are no clouds blocking it.
• Power is measured in Watt or kWatt (1 kW is 1000
W).
 • Energy is measured in Joule1 in the
International Unit System. However, this unit
is scarcely used in the electricity industry.
• Electrical Energy is usually measured in Watt-
hour(Wh).
Energy : Examples:
• One unit of electricity is: 1 kilowatt-hour (1
(Wh) kW x 1 hour = 1 kWh).
• One liter of kerosene contains approximately
11 kWh (i.e. 11 000 Wh).
• A 100 Ah C100 - 12 V battery contains a
maximum of 1200 Wh or 1.2KWh
Energy Vs
Power
 Power and Energy are linked by the factor of
time:
Energy Vs Energy (E) = Power x Time
Power E = P x Time.
(Wh) = (W) x (h)
Example
• If a 40 W TV is turned on for 1 hour, will it
consume the same quantity of energy as an 8 W
fluorescent lamp lit for 5 hours ?
 • Energy = Power x Time
Example • Energy Consumed by running 40W TV for 1 Hr
= Power (40W) x Time (Hr)
= 40WHr
• Energy Consumed By running 8W bulb for 5Hrs
= Power (40W) x Time (Hr)
= 40WHr
Information to be found on
• The power in Watt (power
electrical appliances consumption for
appliances; or power
Abbreviations Units production for generators)
P (W)
• The operating voltage in
Volts (V)
• The current (current drawn
by loads; or current
produced by generators) in
Amperes I (A)
• The type of current AC or
DC –
• The frequency in Hertz
(only for AC current
appliances) f (Hz)
Voltage (V) • Voltage is electromotive
force or the potential
difference of electricity
between two points of a
circuit.
• It is the pressure that
pushes electricity through
conductors.
• Voltage is always measured
by putting the leads of a
multimeter on two points
of an electric circuit (there
is no need to disconnect
the circuit)
 • Current is expressed in
Amperes, using the
Current (I) abbreviation I.
• Current is a measure of
the ‘intensity’ of
electricity flowing in a
circuit. It is equivalent
to the Flow of Water
• It is to be measured in
series connection with
the circuit
• Or else clamp meter
can be used

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Voltage Vs Current
 AC Vs DC

• DC (Direct Current
– Amplitude always Constant
– All Batteries are DC
– All electronic Equipments are DC
– P=VxI
• AC (Alternating Current)
– Amplitude always Changing like Sine wave
– The distributed power we get from Utility is AC
– P = V x I x Cos 
 Electric Capacity (C) = Current x Time
capacity of a
• C (AH) = I (Ampere) x T (Hour)
battery and
stored energy Energy Stored In Battery (Wh)

• = Capacity (AH) x Voltage (V)

Power Factor Power loss due to phase shift
between Voltage & Current.
It is the Cosine of the phase
shift between Voltage &
Current
• Resistive load
– Voltage & Current are in
phase
– Power Factor is 1
– All lighting loads &
Electronics loads are
resistive in nature
 Power Factor
• Inductive
– Current Lags Behind the Voltage
– Power Factor is less than 1
– All motors & power equipments are
inductive in nature
• Capacitive
– Current Leads the Voltage
– Power factor is less than 1
– Complementary to Inductive loads
– Capacitive banks are used to improve
power factor
 • Apparent Power (S)
– Product Of Voltage &
Power Triangle Current
– Measured in VA or KVA
• Active or Real Power (P)
– Product of voltage,
current & Power factor
(Cos )
– Measured in W or KW
• Reactive Power (Q)
– Product of Voltage,
Current & Sin 
– Measured in VAR or
KVAR

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Three Phase Supply

(B to R) 400V
Phase 1 (R to

Line Voltage

(R to Y) 400V
Line Voltage
N) 230V
Each
Phase
Phase with
Voltage
a shift of Phase 2 (Y
220 240 V
1200 to N)
230V
Line
Line Phase 3 (B Line
Voltage =
Voltage Voltage
√3 x Phase to N)
380-415 V
Voltage 230V (Y to B)
400V
3 Phase Power

• P = √3VLIL Cos 
= 3 Vph Iph Cos 

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Summery Energy = Power
* Duration

3 Phase Power E=PxT

Efficiancy
𝑃 = 3𝑣𝐿 𝐼𝐿 cos 𝜙 𝑃𝑖𝑛
= 𝑃𝑜𝑢𝑡 ∗ 100
= 3 𝑣𝑃ℎ 𝐼𝑃ℎ cos 𝜙

Types Of Load
Ohms Law V=
• Resistive I*R
• Inductive Module 0

AC Power 𝑃 = 𝑉 ∗
𝐼 ∗ 𝐶𝑜𝑠 DC Power 𝑃 =
𝑉∗𝐼
Energy Stored in
Battery 𝐸 = 𝑉 ∗ 𝐶