Articles * *Metrics

Feb 20, 2025

1 min read

📏 Beginner's Guide to Energy Measurements

The most important metrics in energy data are gigawatt (GW) and gigawatt-hour (GWh). * Gigawatt (GW) is a measure of instantaneous power. Smaller units are watt (W), kilowatt (kW), and megawatt (MW). * Gigawatt-hour (GWh) is a measure of energy used or generated over time. Smaller units are watt-hour (Wh), kilowatt-hour (kWh) and megawatt-hour (MWh). Together, power and energy tell us the capacity of electricity systems and their ability to meet demand. A 1 GW power plant can produce 1 GW o

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Sep 12, 2024

1 min read

🧾 Net vs Gross Emissions

This might sound obvious, but the term 'Net Zero' has two important parts. Most people focus on the 'Zero'. That means, we're aiming to release zero tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in the year 2050. But we should also focus on the 'Net'. That means, the target of zero is a calculation of the total emissions we put into the atmosphere minus the emissions removed from the atmosphere. How are greenhouse gases removed? We have removed LULUCF from the total net emissions, as a prox

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May 31, 2024

1 min read

⚖️ How we classify renewables and fossil fuels in the data

To make energy data clearer for more people, we’ve simplified fuel source classifications. Below is how OnlyFacts groups fuels in its data and charts. Fossil fuels: * Coal – Includes black and brown coal. * Gas – Includes diesel gas, coal seam methane, and waste coal mine gas. * Liquid fuel – Includes diesel and kerosene. * Other – Includes wind-diesel and small amounts listed as 'Other' or 'Multiple Sources' in the data source (Open Electricity). Renewable fuels: * Hydro * Solar * Wi

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