Power delivered by a generator.

[Mppl]

I know the power delivered by a generator is IV and I'm ok with that. I'm just curious, why doesn't it include a term involving a magnetic potential? I mean when the generator moves a charge it does some work per unit charge (V) because it applies a force storing energy in the electric field... But doesn't it also store energy in the magnetic field?

 

[Drakkith]

Not much. A generator is rated as the max power it can produce. If you only have a small load that requires a fraction of the max power then that's all the generator is actually producing. This power is rated in terms of electrical power. If you look at the details of the generator you could determine all the variables such as the strength of the magnetic field, but it is irrelevant if you already have the power labeled. A load connected to the generator only cares about the voltage and current it can get, not about the magnetic fields of the generator.

 

[Curl]

Yeah but the power at steady state is not affected by that. Sure, the wire has inductance, but that only comes into play at startup/shut down.