Gigawatt (GW)
Exactly one billion watts.
What is a gigawatt?
- Symbol
- GW
- Quantity
- Power
- Unit system
- SI
- Definition
- Exactly one billion watts.
- Exact
- Yes, the value is exact by definition
- Source
- SI Brochure, 9th edition (BIPM, 2019)
Common applications
Used for the output of large power stations and national electricity grids.
Gigawatt in other power units
- 1 GW = 1000000000000 mWMilliwatt
- 1 GW = 1000000000 WWatt
- 1 GW = 1000000 kWKilowatt
- 1 GW = 1000 MWMegawatt
- 1 GW ≈ 1341022.09 hpHorsepower (mechanical)
- 1 GW ≈ 1359621.617 PSHorsepower (metric)
- 1 GW ≈ 3412141633 BTU/hBTU (IT) per hour
- 1 GW ≈ 737562149.3 ft·lbf/sFoot-pound-force per second
Gigawatt quick reference
| Gigawatt | Kilowatt | Horsepower (mechanical) | Milliwatt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GW | = 1000000 kW | ≈ 1341022.09 hp | = 1000000000000 mW |
| 10 GW | = 10000000 kW | ≈ 13410220.9 hp | = 10000000000000 mW |
| 100 GW | = 100000000 kW | ≈ 134102209 hp | = 100000000000000 mW |
| 1000 GW | = 1000000000 kW | ≈ 1341022090 hp | = 1e+15 mW |
Where the gigawatt fits
The next smaller power unit is the megawatt (MW). 1 GW = 1000 MW, and 1 MW = 0.001 GW.
Frequently asked questions
- How many kilowatts are in one gigawatt?
- One gigawatt = 1000000 kW (kilowatts).
- How many horsepower are in one gigawatt?
- One gigawatt ≈ 1341022.09 hp (horsepower).
- How many milliwatts are in one gigawatt?
- One gigawatt = 1000000000000 mW (milliwatts).