Electrical power is the amount of electricity generated, delivered or consumed at a point in time, and is measured in watts. It can also be thought of as the rate at which electrical energy is generated, delivered or consumed.
The term can be applied to individual devices, such as a hydro-electric plant or a light bulb, to households or even to a utility’s entire set of generating facilities.
For example, a single rooftop solar panel might have the power to generate 400 W of electricity, whereas BC Hydro’s Site C dam is expected to produce 1,100 MW. Thinking of power as the rate at which energy is delivered, this means that Site C can deliver energy almost 3 million times faster than a solar panel!
The total amount of power generated by BC Hydro’s facilities reached a record peak of 11,300 MW on January 12, 2024.
This illustration explains the key concepts of electricity.
Watts
The watt is the unit of measure for power, including electrical power, and is named after James Watt.
The common multiples are:
| Multiple | Name | Symbol |
| 1 | watt | W |
| 1,000 | kilowatt | kW |
| 1,000,000 | megawatt | MW |
| 1,000,000,000 | gigawatt | GW |
| 1,000,000,000,000 | terawatt | TW |
| 1,000,000,000,000,000 | petawatt | PW |
| 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 | exawatt | EW |