Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The equation for calculating the energy or work stored in a capacitor is
W = 1/2 CV^2. Where:
W is work or energy
C is capacitance
V is voltage across a capacitor
The equation is easy to understand and easy to use and this video explains where the equation comes from starting from the equation for power in electrical circuits and the equation relating voltage across and current through a capacitor.
There is a little bit of calculus involved, but the only thing you need to remember from calculus is that the "integral of x dx" is 1/2x^2
For more electrical and electronic circuit resources, check out my website:
electronx.ca (still a work in progress)
Julius Caesar Statue Credit: Leomudde, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The equation for calculating the energy or work stored in a capacitor is
W = 1/2 CV^2. Where:
W is work or energy
C is capacitance
V is voltage across a capacitor
The equation is easy to understand and easy to use and this video explains where the equation comes from starting from the equation for power in electrical circuits and the equation relating voltage across and current through a capacitor.
There is a little bit of calculus involved, but the only thing you need to remember from calculus is that the "integral of x dx" is 1/2x^2
For more electrical and electronic circuit resources, check out my website:
electronx.ca (still a work in progress)
Julius Caesar Statue Credit: Leomudde, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
