The rate of production can’t be specified using energy, it needs to be the time derivative of it (unless the overall output of the factory from being opened to being closed is specified, which I don’t think is the case in the article). The unit needs to describe - power.
Whether you use Joules or horse power weeks is beside the point as they can easily be converted into each other.
Sure thing my dude. You also cannot express fuel consumption in miles per gallon. You must express it in square millimeters. https://what-if.xkcd.com/11/
We may occasionally write gallons per mile with a slash, but it is useful as a ratio, not an equation. It makes no sense to reduce a volume to a surface.
On the other hand, knowing if a factory puts out 240 gigawatt hours worth of battery capacity every year, or only over the entire lifetime of the factory, really is an important distinction to make.
Sure, but to be useful you need flow rate, at which point you're basically back to calculating volume. Gas is purchased in volume, and stored in volume. Why not keep the measurement of use as volume per time or distance?
I wish people like you who make these intelligent,factual, and short comments could have a reputation value on HN. This value could give you some automatic upvotes or a more prominent location displayed.
Whether you use Joules or horse power weeks is beside the point as they can easily be converted into each other.