The amount of energy stored per unit of mass or volume. It explains much of energy history at a glance: coal beats wood, oil beats coal, and uranium beats everything by a factor of millions, while batteries still hold far less energy per kilogram than gasoline, the gap that shapes aviation, shipping and storage.
Facts
Concept Domain Connections
Associated With
Uranium, Energy Sources Uranium's energy density per unit mass runs into the millions relative to coal or oil, the extreme case the concept is most often illustrated with.
Sources
1. United States Energy Information Administration Official Site
US Energy Information AdministrationUnits and calculators page, coal heat content calculatorQuote, Units and calculators page, coal heat content calculator
1 short ton=18,792,000 Btu
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