Kilowatt-hour and kilovolt-amperes are both commonly used units in electrical, however, these two units are used to describe two different parameters of a device. Before converting kWh to kva, you need to have an in-depth understanding of these two concepts, which will help you understand the process of converting kWh to kva.
First of all, kWh is the unit of measurement of electrical energy, expressed by the symbol kWh, which is multiplied by power and time, i.e., kWh = power (kW) × time (h), as an example, a 0.2kW solar panel in peak light conditions for 3 hours of continuous operation can produce 0.6kWh of electricity.
Secondly, kilovolt-ampere is an important unit of electricity, generally expressed by the symbol kVA, which is composed of volts (V) and amperes (A), used to express the apparent apparent power, in describing the capacity of transformers, generators and other electrical equipment will be often used.
Before you convert kilowatt-hours to kilovolt-amperes, you need to clarify whether you are calculating for an AC circuit or a DC circuit. Since there is no phase difference between voltage and current in DC circuits, i.e., there is no need to differentiate between apparent and active power, in simple terms, in DC circuits, assuming that the kilovolt-amperes in the circuit is 1kVA, then it means that the power in the circuit is 1kW.
However, for AC circuits, since there is a phase difference between the voltage and the circuit in AC circuits, you need to take this phase difference into account when calculating the power in the circuit. This is where you need to know the power factor in the circuit, which is the ratio of active power to apparent power in an AC circuit, i.e.
Power factor (PF) = active power (kW) / kilovolt-amperes (kVA).
The power factor usually ranges between 0.8 and 0.95.
Then, you need to know how long it will take to consume the power. This figure is the intermediate value to realize the conversion from kWh to kVA, you can calculate how long it will take to consume each kWh of power in your line by using the professional electronic meter, which is very convenient for you.
Once you have these key figures, you can convert kWh to kVA.
For DC circuits, the formula you need to use is:
kilovolt-amperes (kVA) = kilowatt-hours (kWh) / the time it takes to consume the power.
For AC circuits, the formula you need to use is:
kilovolt-amperes (kVA) = kilowatt-hours (kWh) / the time it takes to consume the power / power factor.
For example, for your AC circuit, assuming that the power consumed by the circuit is 6kWh, the time it takes to consume this power is 1 hour, and the power factor of the AC circuit is 0.9, then by substituting the above formula, you will get the kVA of your AC circuit as 6.66kVA.
However, it is important to realize that this calculation is only an approximate value, as the power factor is not a fixed value, and therefore the kVA is an approximate value, but it can be used as a reference for evaluating the capacity and load requirements of your circuit.
By knowing more about kWh to kVA, you can have a general understanding of your home’s electrical circuits, which will help you plan and optimize your home’s electrical circuits and reduce the energy consumption of the circuits, which in turn will reduce your electricity bill to a certain extent, so it is clear that being familiar with the process of converting kWh to kVA can be a help to your life.
