The
tonne of oil equivalent (
toe) is a
unit of energyBecause energy is defined via work, the SI unit for energy is the same as the unit of work – the joule , named in honour of James Prescott Joule and his experiments on the mechanical equivalent of heat...
: the amount of energy released by burning one
tonneA tonne or metric ton , also referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to , or approximately the mass of one cubic metre of water. It is not an SI unit but is accepted for use with the SI...
of crude oil, approximately 42
GJThe joule , named for James Prescott Joule, is the derived unit of energy in the International System of Units. It is the energy exerted by a force of one newton acting to move an object through a distance of one metre...
(as different crude oils have different calorific values, the exact value of the
toe is defined by convention; unfortunately there are several slightly different definitions as discussed below).
The
toe is sometimes used for large amounts of
energyIn physics, energy is a scalar physical quantity that describes the amount of work that can be performed by a force, an attribute of objects and systems that is subject to a conservation law...
, as it can be more intuitive to visualise, say, the energy released by burning 1000 tonnes of oil than 42,000
billion1,000,000,000 is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001.In scientific notation, it is written as 10
9....
jouleThe joule , named for James Prescott Joule, is the derived unit of energy in the International System of Units. It is the energy exerted by a force of one newton acting to move an object through a distance of one metre...
s (the
SISi, si, or SI may refer to :- Places :* Mount Si, a mountain in state of Washington* Si County, county in Anhui, China* Si River, a river in China* Slovenia, a European nation Si, si, or SI may refer to (all SI unless otherwise stated):- Places :* Mount Si, a mountain in state of Washington* Si...
unit of energy).
MultiplesAn SI prefix is a name or associated symbol that precedes a basic unit of measure to form a decimal multiple or submultiple. The abbreviation SI is from the French language name Système International d’Unités...
of the
toe are used, in particular the megatoe (Mtoe, one million toe) and the gigatoe (Gtoe, one billion toe).
The
IEAThe International Energy Agency is a Paris-based intergovernmental organization established under the umbrella of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1974 in the wake of the oil crisis...
/OECD define one
toe to be equal to 41.868
GJThe joule , named for James Prescott Joule, is the derived unit of energy in the International System of Units. It is the energy exerted by a force of one newton acting to move an object through a distance of one metre...
or 11.63
MWhMWH may stand for* IATA code for Grant County International Airport* Montgomery Watson Harza, as in MWH Global, an international water engineering consultancy* Men Without Hats, a band best known for their song The Safety Dance...
.
Some organisations use other definitions of toe, for example:
- 1 toe = 42 GJ
- 1 toe = 41.85 GJ
- 1 toe = 7.11, 7.33, or 7.4 barrel of oil equivalent (boe)
- 1 tonne petroleum equivalent (TPE), as used in renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat—which are renewable . In 2006, about 18% of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 13% coming from traditional biomass, such as wood-burning...
, 45.217 GJ.
- 1 barrel of oil equivalent
The barrel of oil equivalent is a unit of energy based on the approximate energy released by burning one barrel of crude oil...
(boe) contains approximately 0.146 toe (i.e.
The
tonne of oil equivalent (
toe) is a
unit of energyBecause energy is defined via work, the SI unit for energy is the same as the unit of work – the joule , named in honour of James Prescott Joule and his experiments on the mechanical equivalent of heat...
: the amount of energy released by burning one
tonneA tonne or metric ton , also referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to , or approximately the mass of one cubic metre of water. It is not an SI unit but is accepted for use with the SI...
of crude oil, approximately 42
GJThe joule , named for James Prescott Joule, is the derived unit of energy in the International System of Units. It is the energy exerted by a force of one newton acting to move an object through a distance of one metre...
(as different crude oils have different calorific values, the exact value of the
toe is defined by convention; unfortunately there are several slightly different definitions as discussed below).
The
toe is sometimes used for large amounts of
energyIn physics, energy is a scalar physical quantity that describes the amount of work that can be performed by a force, an attribute of objects and systems that is subject to a conservation law...
, as it can be more intuitive to visualise, say, the energy released by burning 1000 tonnes of oil than 42,000
billion1,000,000,000 is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001.In scientific notation, it is written as 10
9....
jouleThe joule , named for James Prescott Joule, is the derived unit of energy in the International System of Units. It is the energy exerted by a force of one newton acting to move an object through a distance of one metre...
s (the
SISi, si, or SI may refer to :- Places :* Mount Si, a mountain in state of Washington* Si County, county in Anhui, China* Si River, a river in China* Slovenia, a European nation Si, si, or SI may refer to (all SI unless otherwise stated):- Places :* Mount Si, a mountain in state of Washington* Si...
unit of energy).
MultiplesAn SI prefix is a name or associated symbol that precedes a basic unit of measure to form a decimal multiple or submultiple. The abbreviation SI is from the French language name Système International d’Unités...
of the
toe are used, in particular the megatoe (Mtoe, one million toe) and the gigatoe (Gtoe, one billion toe).
Definitions
The
IEAThe International Energy Agency is a Paris-based intergovernmental organization established under the umbrella of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1974 in the wake of the oil crisis...
/OECD define one
toe to be equal to 41.868
GJThe joule , named for James Prescott Joule, is the derived unit of energy in the International System of Units. It is the energy exerted by a force of one newton acting to move an object through a distance of one metre...
or 11.63
MWhMWH may stand for* IATA code for Grant County International Airport* Montgomery Watson Harza, as in MWH Global, an international water engineering consultancy* Men Without Hats, a band best known for their song The Safety Dance...
.
Some organisations use other definitions of toe, for example:
- 1 toe = 42 GJ
- 1 toe = 41.85 GJ
- 1 toe = 7.11, 7.33, or 7.4 barrel of oil equivalent (boe)
- 1 tonne petroleum equivalent (TPE), as used in renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat—which are renewable . In 2006, about 18% of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 13% coming from traditional biomass, such as wood-burning...
, 45.217 GJ.
Conversion factors
- 1 barrel of oil equivalent
The barrel of oil equivalent is a unit of energy based on the approximate energy released by burning one barrel of crude oil...
(boe) contains approximately 0.146 toe (i.e. there are approximately 6.841 boe in a toe).
- 1 t diesel = 1.01 toe
- 1 m3 diesel = 0.98 toe
- 1 t petrol = 1.05 toe
- 1 m3 petrol = 0.86 toe
- 1 t biodiesel
Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....
= 0.86 toe
- 1 m3 biodiesel = 0.78 toe
- 1 t bioethanol = 0.64 toe
- 1m3 bioethanol = 0.51 toe
- 1 MWh = 0.22 toe (assumes 39% thermal to electrical conversion efficiency)
- 1 MWh = 0.086 toe
It is important to note that toe should be used carefully when converting electrical units - for instance, BP's 2007 report used a factor of 38% efficiency (the average efficiency of OECD thermal generating units in 2006), or roughly 16 GJ per toe, when converting kilowatt-hours to toe.
See also
- Conversion of units
Conversion of units refers to conversion factors between different units of measurement for the same quantity.- Rounding of results :The process of making a conversion cannot produce a more precise result than the original quoted figure. Appropriate rounding of results is normally performed after...
- Energies per unit mass