Kilowatt-Hours to Milliamp-Hours (kWh to mAh) Conversion

For those handling devices or energy systems, knowing how to convert kWh to mAh is vital. Whether you're trying to control how long a power bank will last for your smartphone or how much energy a solar power station can store, understanding these conversions helps you plan and optimise your energy use.

1. What is kWh?

Example in daily life:

Let’s say you have a space heater rated at 1,500 watts. If you put it on and continue using it for 2 hours, this heater will consume:               

                          1.5 kW × 2 hours = 3 kWh

This means your heater consumes 3 kilowatt-hours of energy in total over that time. Electricity bills are usually calculated based on the number of kWh used over a billing period.

2. What is mAh?

Milliamp-hours (mAh) quantity is the capacity of smaller batteries, often found in portable electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. This unit measures the amount of electric charge a battery can deliver over time.

1 mAh means a battery can provide 1 milliamp (mA) of current for 1 hour. The higher the mAh rating, the longer the battery can last on a single charge, given the same device or usage conditions.

Example in gadgets:

A typical smartphone may have a battery rated at 4,000 mAh. If the phone draws 400 mA of current during regular use, it could run for approximately 10 hours.  

4,000mAh / 400mAh = 10 hours

3. How to Convert kWh to mAh?

The affiliation between kilowatt-hours and milliamp-hours depends on energy. In general, changing from kWh to mAh involves information on the battery's voltage, as both units reproduce different aspects of electrical energy.

Conversion Formula:

mAh = kWhx1,000,000 / Voltage (V)

kWh: The amount of energy in kilowatt-hours.

Voltage (V): The voltage of any device or a battery.

This formula works as a kWh to mAh calculator.

Example:

Picture you have a 2 kWh battery with a voltage of 12V (common for larger battery packs):

mAh= 2 kWh × 1,000,000 =166,667 

                    12 V

This battery can provide 166,667 milliamp-hours of power.

Further Explanation:

• Advanced energy systems (like 24V or 48V setups) will have an inferior mAh rating for the same kWh, while lower voltage systems (like 3.7V for smartphones) will have higher mAh values.
• Voltage is a critical factor, as it moves both the battery's size and its competence in delivering energy over time.

4. How to Convert mAh to kWh?

To convert milliamp-hours (mAh) back to kilowatt-hours (kWh), the procedure is reversed. This is useful for the conversion of energy stored in smaller successions, such as those in smartphones or power banks.

Conversion Formula:

kWh = mAh×Voltage (V)

          1,000,000

Example Conversion:

For example, you have a power bank of 10,000 mAh with a voltage of 5V:

kWh = 10,000 mAh×5 V =0.05 kWh

          1,000,000

This power bank stores 0.05 kWh of energy, which means it can provide 50 watt-hours of power.

Key Points:

• Small plans like smartphones and tablets classically have battery volumes rated in mAh, while larger systems like solar power stations or electric vehicles use kWh.
• Altering mAh to kWh is useful for estimating how long small devices will last when charged or powered by larger systems.

5. How to Convert kWh to Ah?

The Amp-hour (Ah) unit is regularly used for larger batteries, like those in solar power systems, electric vehicles, or marine applications. Converting kWh to Ah provides a better understanding of a battery’s capacity at a given voltage.

Conversion Formula:

Ah = kWh×1,000

      Voltage(V)

Ah (Amp-hour) is the larger counterpart to mAh, where 1 Ah equals 1,000 mAh.

Example:

Consider a 1.5 kWh battery with a voltage of 24V:

Ah = 1.5 kWh×1,000 =62.5 Ah

                 24 V

This means the battery has a capacity of 62.5 Ah at 24V.

Usage in Power Storage:

Amp-hour rankings are particularly useful for applications connecting solar energy loading, electric vehicles, and backup power supplies, where large amounts of energy are needed over long periods.

6. kWh to mAh Conversion Table

For a fast reference, here's a kWh to mAh conversion table showing how kWh converts to mAh at different voltages:

This table can be used when comparing different battery systems to determine their capacity based on both kWh and voltage.

7. How do kWh and mAh Help Judge the Capacity of a Battery?

It is quite critical to have knowledge of kWh and mAh if you want to make informed decisions about battery systems. For example, portable power stations like the BLUETTI AC200L offer significant capacity for outdoor or emergency use.

Real-world Application:

The BLUETTI AC200L is a portable power station with a 2 kWh capacity. Knowing this, you can calculate how long it will run on various devices:

• 100W Laptop:

                                  2,000 Wh / 100 W = 20 hours

• 500W Refrigerator:

                                   2,000 Wh / 500 W = 4 hours

• 10W LED Light:

                                2,000 Wh / 10W = 200 hours

This makes it easy to estimate how long a power station will last for different devices. For instance, understanding that a 2 kWh power station can run a 100W device for 20 hours helps you plan your energy use during camping trips, emergencies, or off-grid situations. It should be noted that the above formula is the theoretical operating time of the equipment. In practice, you also need to take into account the power consumption of the portable power station supply itself, as well as the temperature of the equipment, the environment and other factors.

Q&A Section

1. How many watt-hours is 20,000mAh?

To find watt-hours (Wh), use the formula:                           

                            Wh = mAh×Voltage (V)

                                            1,000

For a 20,000 mAh battery with 3.7V:                         

                              Wh = 20,000×3.7 =74Wh

                                           1,000

This means the battery stores an energy of 74 Wh.

2. What is 5,000mAh in amps?

Milliamp-hours (mAh) can be converted into amp-hours (Ah) by dividing by 1,000:

                                   5,000 mAh =5 Ah

3. How long can a 3 kWh Battery Power a Household Refrigerator?

A standard refrigerator consumes around 500W. So, a 3 kWh battery will power it for 6 hours.

Conclusion

Understanding the conversion among kilowatt-hours (kWh), milliamp-hours (mAh), and amp-hours (Ah) is important for anyone working with batteries, energy storage systems, or electronic devices. These units provide a clear insight into how much energy a battery can stock and deliver over time. Knowing how to convert kWh to mAh helps you make informed choices about battery life, capacity, and power consumption.

For small devices like smartphones, tablets, and power banks, mAh gives a quick indication of battery life, allowing users to evaluate how long their devices will last on a full charge. On the other hand, kWh is used for larger systems, like electric vehicles and home battery storage systems, where energy requirements are much greater. In real-life claims, the ability to convert these units becomes especially important when evaluating portable power stations, such as the BLUETTI AC200L. Additionally, these conversions become important when deciding how long a solar battery will continue providing power to a house during an outage.

In addition to providing a practical understanding of how energy is stored and used, learning these conversions ensures that you can maximise the proficiency of your electronic devices and energy storage solutions. Whether you're powering small gadgets or large applications, knowing how to convert between kWh, mAh, and Ah enables you to get the most out of your batteries and make smarter choices for energy consumption and storage.