kWp

Units & Measurements abbreviation · Engineering Unit

kWp
Stands forKilowatt-peak
CategoriesUnits & Measurements

kWp stands for Kilowatt-peak, an engineering unit abbreviation.

Rated output of a solar array under standard test conditions: 1,000 W/m² of sunlight at a cell temperature of 25°C. Rooftop systems are sized in kWp, and a typical home system is 4 to 10 kWp.

Example: The 6 kWp rooftop array should produce around 5,000 kWh a year in southern England.

Usage notes

Real output is almost always below the peak rating because of heat, panel angle, cloud and inverter losses. Annual yield per kWp ranges from roughly 900 kWh in northern Europe to about 1,700 kWh in sunny regions. American installers usually write the same rating as kW DC.

More engineering unit abbreviations

  • ksi – Kilopounds per square inch
  • kt – Knot (aviation)
  • kV – Kilovolt
  • kVA – Kilovolt-ampere
  • kW – Kilowatt
  • kWh – Kilowatt-hour
  • L/100 km – Liters per 100 kilometers
  • lb-ft – Pound-feet
  • lbf – Pound-force
  • lm – Lumen
  • lx – Lux
  • m/s – Meters per second

See all 103 engineering unit abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.