Example of Energy Conversion Efficiency
| Conversion process | Energy efficiency |
|---|---|
| Electricity generation | |
| Gas turbine | up to 40% |
| Gas turbine plus steam turbine (combined cycle) | up to 60% |
| Water turbine | up to 90% (practically achieved) |
| Wind turbine | up to 59% (theoretical limit) |
| Solar cell | 6–40% (technology dependent, 15% most often, 85–90% theoretical limit) |
| Fuel cell | up to 85% |
| World Electricity generation 2008 | Gross output 39%, Net output 33%. |
| Engine/Motor | |
| Combustion engine | 10–50% |
| Electric motors | 70–99.99% (above 200W); 50–90% (between 10–200W); 30–60% (small ones < 10W) |
| Natural process | |
| Photosynthesis | up to 6% |
| Muscle | 14–27% |
| Appliance | |
| Household refrigerators | low-end systems ~ 20%; high end systems ~ 40–50% |
| Incandescent light bulb | 0.7–5.1%, 5–10% |
| Light-emitting diode (LED) | 4.2–14.9%, up to 35% |
| Fluorescent lamps | 8.0–15.6%, 28% |
| Low-pressure sodium lamps | 15.0–29.0%, 40.5% |
| Metal halide lamps | 9.5–17.0%, 24% |
| Switched-mode power supply | currently up to 95% practically |
| Electric shower | 90–95% (overall it would be more efficient to use a heat pump, requiring less electric energy) |
| Electric heaters | ~100% (essentially all energy is converted into heat) |
| others | |
| Firearm | ~30% (.300 Hawk ammunition) |
| Electrolysis of water | 50–70% (80–94% theoretical maximum) |
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