Solar generators keep your lights and appliances even during blackouts. They use solar energy stored in their batteries to power and charge your devices.
For this, knowing their kWh rating is important so you can know how many devices they can power. This article explores how you can convert kWh to watts for better reading solar generator parameters.
Watts, Kilowatt and Kilowatt-Hour
There are many energy units used to measure how much power your devices consume. Among them are kWh (kilowatt-hour) and watts.
What is a Watt?
Watts is the rate of power flow. You can use the following formula to calculate a watt:
Watts (W) = Volt (V) x Amp (A)
Some of the most common wattage ratings include:
- Light bulb: 40 to 100 watts
- Coffee maker: 500 to 1,000 watts
- Electric oven: 2000 to 3000 watts
- Air conditioner: 1000 to 2000 watts
The higher the wattage rating the more the energy consumption. As such, if you use high-wattage appliances often, you will get a higher electricity bill and vice versa.
What is a Kilowatt?
Kilowatt measures the conversion rate of energy. A kilowatt is equal to 1000 watts. As such, a 2kilowatt rated appliance will transfer or use up to 2000 joules of energy per second. Most companies that produce household electronics will use kilowatts to measure the devices’ power output.
How Many Watts in a Kilowatt?
So, how many watts are in a kilowatt? Well, there are 1000 W in a kilowatt. You can use the following formula to calculate watts in a kilowatt:
Watts = kilowatts x 1000
If a device has a 3 kilowatts power rating, its watts will be 3 x 1000, which is 3000 W.
What Is Kilowatt-Hour?
kWh is the measure of one kilowatt that an electronic device uses per hour. For example, if your heater’s rating is 1000 watts for one hour, it consumes 1 kWh of energy.
Your electricity bill will often show your monthly usage in kilowatt-hours, and the more you use the higher your bill will be. You should however not confuse kWh with kW.
Is there a difference between kWh and kW?
kW (kilowatt) is the rate of electricity used in a month. In short, it is the amount of energy your appliances use. Ideally, there are high- and low-power appliances and each consumption is measured in kWh.
How Do I Calculate the Energy Use of an Appliance? (In Kwh)
So, if you have a low-power 100-watt TV, it would take 10 hours to hit 1 kWh. On the other hand, it takes 30 minutes for a 2,000-watt gadget to reach 1 kWh. It means if you run high-power devices frequently, you may reach 1 kWh quickly.
You can use this formula to calculate the kilowatt-hours used by a device:
Kilowatt-hours =power (watts) * time (hours)
How to convert kWh to Watts?
kWh to Watts Conversion Formula
So, how do you convert kWh to watts? Let's find out.
To calculate kilowatts-hours, you can use the following formula:
Watts (W) = kWh x 1000
For example, if you have a 3 kWh electric oven, you can use the following formula to calculate its watts:
3 x 1000 = 3000 watts.
Using the kWh to Watts Calculator
Another straightforward way is to use kWh to watts calculators. There are many to choose from, but performing the same calculations. All you need is to feed it with kWh and it will do the rest.
Related article: kW vs. kWh: Do You Know the Difference?
Why Converting Matters for Solar Generators
Converting kWh to watts or vice versa helps you understand the following aspects of a solar generator:
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Understanding Energy Production and Consumption
Most solar generators have kilowatts, watts, or megawatts ratings. This allows you to understand how much power it can produce, meaning you can know which appliances to run with it. You can also gauge the number of solar panels you’ll need to ensure optimal energy production.
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For Evaluating System Performance
By converting watts (W) into kWh, you can evaluate how much energy your solar panels produces in a day, month, or year. As such, you can compare the expected performance over the same period. This allows you to identify inefficiencies and issues with the PV system.
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Designing Solar Systems
As you’d expect, an efficient solar system design requires you to understand the energy requirements of your home. By converting from watts to kilo-watts or vice versa, you can determine the peak power and demand of your appliances. Besides, it ensures that the solar generator can produce enough energy to meet your needs.
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Helps Determine Battery Size
Another reason why converting kWh to watts matters is to determine the solar battery storage size. If the power required is high, you’ll require a large system, and vice versa. Additionally, if you’ll have an off-grid system, converting will help you buy the best solar batteries so you can power your appliances throughout the year.
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Helps you to Compare Solar Generators
Well, if you are buying a solar generator online, you’ll want to compare options from several manufacturers. Dealing with watts, kWh, and kW can be inconsistent, not to mention annoying. This is where converting the ratings into a single unit comes into play. It helps you compare quickly and effectively.
How Many Watts Should a Solar Generator Have to Run a House?
There are several factors that can determine how many watts should run your house. They include the following:
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Daily consumption
First, you need to determine your daily energy consumption, ideally in kWh. Fortunately, you can use an energy monitoring device to get the exact number. To calculate daily consumption, you’ll need to compile a list of devices and appliances.
For each device, you need to determine the power rating in watts. You can find this information on the device or user manual. If written in kWh, convert it into watts using the provided formula.
From this, you can calculate daily usage by estimating the average number of hours each device will run. Finally, multiply each device’s watts by the number of hours it will be running, then sum up to get the total daily consumption.
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Solar System Efficiency
As you’d expect, solar systems do not run with 100% efficiency. Solar panels do not always capture sunlight and batteries might become faulty. As such, it is recommended to consider the efficiency of the system so you can determine how many solar generators you’ll need.
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Sunlight Availability
Sunlight availability also affects how much power your solar generator will produce. If you are in a state with more sunlight, your generator might produce ample watts for your home. You may require extra solar panels if you live in an area with less sunlight, to meet your energy needs.
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Size of the Generator
A small solar generator will no doubt produce inadequate energy to run your house. Likewise, a large option might produce ample watts to run your house for days.
As you can see, there’s no one-fits-all answer since the watts required will depend on factors such as sunlight, daily consumption, and the size of the generator. In short, you need to estimate how much your appliances will use to calculate how many watts your solar battery should produce.
BLUETTI Solar Generators to Power Your Home
BLUETTI AC300 + B300 Kit
To run your house on solar energy, you can start with a home battery backup such as the BLUETTI AC300 + B300 Kit. This option has an output of over 12,000 Wh. This means you can power just about any appliance in your house.
And thanks to the built-in inverter, you can enjoy up to 3000 W power output, ideal for large appliances. Connecting it to at least two solar panels can see it go from zero to 100 within six hours. As you’d expect, it is lightweight, quiet, and easy to use.
BLUETTI AC200MAX
Another option is the BLUETTI AC200MAX which comes with three solar panels. This package guarantees a total capacity of 2048Wh, enough to power your gadgets for days. Whether you want to charge your laptop or mobile phone, this power station got you covered.
With it, you are sure of over 100 hours of lighting, over 30 hours of refrigeration, and over six hours of air conditioning. And thanks to its portable design, you can use it for outdoor activities such as camping.
BLUETTI AC200P
If you are looking for an affordable option, consider the BLUETTI AC200P which also comes with three solar panels. With a total capacity of 2,000Wh, the solar generator is ideal for powering your coffee maker, electric grill, car fridge, and other low-energy electronics.
Like others on the list, it is compact and lightweight, allowing you to transport it to different locations. The best part is that you can recharge it using your car, lead-acid battery, and AC. It also has other options on BLUETTI, you can choose the best one according to your needs.
Final Thoughts
Converting kWh to watts is as easy as dividing kWh by the number of hours and then multiplying by 1000. kWh enables you to gauge how many watts an appliance uses per hour. If you want to power large appliances, you’ll have to buy a solar generator with a high kWh rating.
