Electric power

Electric power is the rate of transfer of <a href="/facts/Electrical_energy/V0pJUrDY">electrical energy</a> within a <a href="/facts/Electric_circuit/zt94kTW0">circuit</a>. Its <a href="/facts/SI/NShmfzlD">SI</a> unit is the <a href="/facts/Watt/VK8oqRrm">watt</a>, the general unit of <a href="/facts/Power_(physics)/mkaEyRnn">power</a>, defined as one <a href="/facts/Joule/9ndq9jD2">joule</a> per <a href="/facts/Second/jtFxnJXx">second</a>. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with other SI units: thousands, millions and billions of watts are called kilowatts, megawatts and gigawatts respectively.
In common parlance, electric power is the production and delivery of electrical energy, an essential <a href="/facts/Public_utility/BzslJKc3">public utility</a> in much of the world. Electric power is usually produced by <a href="/facts/Electric_generator/5sATsUGX">electric generators</a>, but can also be supplied by sources such as <a href="/facts/Electric_battery/bqEpm4ue">electric batteries</a>. It is usually supplied to businesses and homes (as domestic <a href="/facts/Mains_electricity/rjE90Hg0">mains electricity</a>) by the <a href="/facts/Electric_power_industry/xwabxdhN">electric power industry</a> through an <a href="/facts/Electrical_grid/RkWPqjmG">electrical grid</a>.
Electric power can be delivered over long distances by <a href="/facts/Electric_power_transmission/I9w3lRmM">transmission lines</a> and used for applications such as <a href="/facts/Electric_motor/ArD7BGDa">motion</a>, <a href="/facts/Electric_light/v3fb5WBp">light</a> or <a href="/facts/Electric_heat/Lx6n0WCC">heat</a> with high <a href="/facts/Electrical_efficiency/HBBMzuon">efficiency</a>.

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Electric power