Kilowatt

The kilowatt is a unit of measurement for electrical power. In the context of photovoltaics, there are several important areas of application:

• Power of solar modules: The power of an individual solar module is specified in kilowatt-peak (kWp). This value indicates how much electrical power a module produces under standard test conditions (STC). The peak power is the maximum value a module can deliver under optimal conditions.
• Power of a photovoltaic system: The total power of a photovoltaic system results from the sum of the powers of all installed modules. It determines how much electricity the system can produce at maximum capacity.
• Power consumption: The power consumption of electrical devices is also given in kilowatts. By comparing the generated power of a PV system with one's own power consumption, one can estimate how much self-consumption is possible.

Kilowatt-hour (kWh):

Closely related to the kilowatt is the kilowatt-hour. It represents the electrical energy consumed or generated at a power of one kilowatt over the duration of one hour. The kilowatt-hour is the standard unit for billing electrical energy by energy providers.

Relevant keywords: solar module, photovoltaic system, standard test conditions (STC), kilowatt-peak (kWp), kilowatt-hour (kWh)