ClimateAugust 1, 2026
petajoule
PET-uh-jool
Definition
A unit of energy equal to one quadrillion (10^15) joules, frequently used to measure large-scale energy consumption or production in industrial contexts.
Etymology
The term is a compound of 'peta-', a SI prefix from the Greek 'petalos' (meaning spread out or wide, often used to signify large quantities), and 'joule', named after the English physicist James Prescott Joule.
In the news
In the article, the term is used to quantify the massive annual energy requirements—specifically coal and natural gas—of the Worsley alumina refinery. It serves as a standard metric to illustrate the scale of the facility's carbon-intensive operations.
Alcoa’s AU$8.1 bn South32 Deal Could Make It Australia’s Second-Largest Energy Consumer, IEEFA Says
Read the full article ↗GreentechLead