Electric power refers to the rate at which electrical energy is consumed or produced in an electrical circuit or device. It is the amount of energy transferred or converted per unit of time and is typically measured in watts (W).
The SI unit of electric power is the watt (W), named after James Watt, the Scottish engineer who contributed significantly to the development of the steam engine. One watt is equivalent to one joule of energy transferred or used per second. It is a small unit, so kilowatts (kW) are often used for larger power ratings, where 1 kilowatt is equal to 1000 watts. For even larger power quantities, megawatts (MW) and gigawatts (GW) are used, where 1 megawatt is equal to 1 million watts and 1 gigawatt is equal to 1 billion watts, respectively.
The formula to calculate electric power is:
Electric Power (P) = Voltage (V) ร Current (I)
where:
P = Electric Power in watts (W)
V = Voltage in volts (V)
I = Current in amperes (A)