For those looking to rent a generator or purchase electronic equipment, some technical terms like volt, kVA, and watts are quite common. To make a more informed decision regarding equipment choices, it’s important to know the differences between volts, kVA, and watts. These are measurements present in electricity concepts, so common in our daily lives and often overlooked.
Understanding what these measurements are helps to better define the best equipment for each need. Learn more!
What is Volt?
Volt is a unit of measurement used to obtain the electrical voltage of a device – although it’s common to use the word as if it defines “voltage,” the correct term here is voltage.
The electrons in the electric current need a stimulus called “electric potential” to move. For example: imagine a stationary pendulum. If someone touches it, it will move. In electricity, this tension that allows movement is the difference in electric potential that generates the current. This difference is the electrical voltage, which is measured by the unit of volts (V).
What is kVA?
Kilovoltampere (kVA) is a very common unit of measurement, especially in the generator world, and it determines the expected power or apparent power. For example: if a lamp consumes 120 watts, it needs to be powered by a circuit with at least 60 kVA.
The acronym kVA is formed by the measurements of volt (V), ampere (A), and K (which, as in the kilogram measurement, means thousand). Therefore, one unit of kVA is equivalent to 1000 VA – or 1000 volt-amperes, with two variables, which are active power (watts) and reactive power (var). However, it’s essential to remember that several other factors also need to be considered for the proper sizing of the generator.
What is Watt?
This is a measurement used to determine the consumption of each equipment that uses electrical energy. The term is quite common and is always present in news about electricity in the country, and also on the electricity bill, for example.
There are variables of the measurement, such as kilowatt (KW), to indicate 1,000 watts, or megawatt (MW) for 1 million watts.
Although electricity may seem like a complicated and mysterious part of knowledge, it’s possible to learn in a didactic way what each of the above measurements is for, which greatly facilitates understanding when choosing an electrical equipment for rental or purchase.
