Joule heating

Joule heating, also known as ohmic heating and resistive heating, is the process by which the passage of an electric current through a conductor releases heat. The amount of heat released is proportional to the square of the current such that

This relationship is known as Joule's first law or Joule–Lenz law. Joule heating is independent of the direction of current, unlike heating due to the Peltier effect.