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1 Energy Security and Sustainability: An Overview
Box-1 ENERGY AND POWER
Energy is defined as the ability to do work and is measured in joules (J).
One joule is the work done when a force of one newton (N) is applied
through a distance of one meter. A newton is the unit of force that, while
acting on a mass of one kilogram, increases its velocity by one meter per
second every second along the direction in which it acts.
Power, on the other hand, is the rate at which energy is transferred and is
commonly measured in watts (W), where one watt is one joule per second.
Newton, joule, and watt are defined in the International System of Units. The
oil industry measures energy as tons of oil equivalent or ToE where 1 ToE =
41.87 x 109 Joules and barrels of oil equivalent or BoE where 1 BoE = 5.71
x 109 Joules. In the same manner the coal industry measures energy as
tons of coal equivalent where 1 TCE = 29.31 x 109 Joules. Commercial
electricity is measured as kilo watthour where 1 kWh equals 3.6 x 106
Joules.
Source [UNDP, 2000]
Besides, calorie and joule, another unit of energy frequently used at international
level is BTU. The acronym stands for British Thermal Unit (Davis and Wood 1974)
and is equivalent to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound
of water through 1° Fahrenheit. One BTU is equivalent to 252 cal or 0.252 kcal or
0.293 watt-hours or 1055 joules.
1 BTU = 252 cal = 0.252 kcal = 1055 Joules = 0.293 watt-hours
In Indian context, consumers pay their electricity bill in proportion to the ‘units’
of energy consumed by them. One unit of energy consumed indicates use of an
electrical item (e.g., a bulb) of 1000 watt (or 1 Kilowatt) for 1 hour. In other words,
one unit is equivalent to 1 kilowatt-hour of energy consumed. In terms of BTU, 1
kilowatt-hour generates 3412 BTU.
One unit = 1 kilowatt-hour = 3412 BTU = 853,000 cal
At the global level, a normalized unit of energy is being used which is referred to
as KgOE (kilograms of oil equivalent) and TOE (tons of oil equivalent) (see Box 2)
(Zou 2020). By convention it is equivalent to the approximate amount of energy that
can be extracted from 1 kilogram or 1 ton of crude oil, respectively. The World Bank,
for example, uses KgOE for energy use per capita in its ‘Little Green Data Book’
which is published annually.
Box-2 TOE (Tons of Oil Equivalent)
1 TOE equals
11.63 Mega-watt Hour (MWH)
14.868 Giga Joules (GJ)
39,683,207 British Thermal Unit (BTU)
1.43 Tons of Coal Equivalent (TCE)
7.33 Barrels of Oil Equivalent (BOE)
1 Energy Security and Sustainability: An Overview
Box-1 ENERGY AND POWER
Energy is defined as the ability to do work and is measured in joules (J).
One joule is the work done when a force of one newton (N) is applied
through a distance of one meter. A newton is the unit of force that, while
acting on a mass of one kilogram, increases its velocity by one meter per
second every second along the direction in which it acts.
Power, on the other hand, is the rate at which energy is transferred and is
commonly measured in watts (W), where one watt is one joule per second.
Newton, joule, and watt are defined in the International System of Units. The
oil industry measures energy as tons of oil equivalent or ToE where 1 ToE =
41.87 x 109 Joules and barrels of oil equivalent or BoE where 1 BoE = 5.71
x 109 Joules. In the same manner the coal industry measures energy as
tons of coal equivalent where 1 TCE = 29.31 x 109 Joules. Commercial
electricity is measured as kilo watthour where 1 kWh equals 3.6 x 106
Joules.
Source [UNDP, 2000]
Besides, calorie and joule, another unit of energy frequently used at international
level is BTU. The acronym stands for British Thermal Unit (Davis and Wood 1974)
and is equivalent to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound
of water through 1° Fahrenheit. One BTU is equivalent to 252 cal or 0.252 kcal or
0.293 watt-hours or 1055 joules.
1 BTU = 252 cal = 0.252 kcal = 1055 Joules = 0.293 watt-hours
In Indian context, consumers pay their electricity bill in proportion to the ‘units’
of energy consumed by them. One unit of energy consumed indicates use of an
electrical item (e.g., a bulb) of 1000 watt (or 1 Kilowatt) for 1 hour. In other words,
one unit is equivalent to 1 kilowatt-hour of energy consumed. In terms of BTU, 1
kilowatt-hour generates 3412 BTU.
One unit = 1 kilowatt-hour = 3412 BTU = 853,000 cal
At the global level, a normalized unit of energy is being used which is referred to
as KgOE (kilograms of oil equivalent) and TOE (tons of oil equivalent) (see Box 2)
(Zou 2020). By convention it is equivalent to the approximate amount of energy that
can be extracted from 1 kilogram or 1 ton of crude oil, respectively. The World Bank,
for example, uses KgOE for energy use per capita in its ‘Little Green Data Book’
which is published annually.
Box-2 TOE (Tons of Oil Equivalent)
1 TOE equals
11.63 Mega-watt Hour (MWH)
14.868 Giga Joules (GJ)
39,683,207 British Thermal Unit (BTU)
1.43 Tons of Coal Equivalent (TCE)
7.33 Barrels of Oil Equivalent (BOE)