A gigawatt (GW) is a unit of power equal to one billion watts. To put it into perspective, a single gigawatt can power approximately 750,000 homes simultaneously in developed countries. This immense power is often used to measure the capacity of power plants, with modern nuclear reactors typically generating between 1 to 1.3 gigawatts each. The term gained mainstream attention in pop culture when Doc Brown, in the movie “Back to the Future,” famously exclaimed the need for 1.21 “gigawatts” to power his time machine. Although mistakenly pronounced, it sparked curiosity about the sheer scale of energy required for large-scale projects and futuristic concepts. Today, understanding gigawatts is crucial as we transition to more sustainable energy sources and technologies.
The watt, a unit of power in the International System of Units, is named after James Watt, the Scottish inventor who vastly improved the efficiency of steam engines in the 18th century. One watt is equivalent to one joule of energy per second, signifying how much energy is transferred or converted. Interestingly, a single watt is roughly the amount of power used by a human heart, pumping about 80 milliliters of blood per beat with a resting heart rate.
In our technology-driven society, watts are pivotal in understanding the energy consumption of electrical devices. For instance, a typical LED light bulb uses about 10 watts, significantly less than an incandescent bulb, highlighting the watt’s role in energy conservation. Moreover, the watt powers our world: everything from the brightness of light bulbs to the performance of supercomputers is measured in watts, underlining its importance in both everyday life and cutting-edge technology.
| Gigawatts | Watts |
|---|---|
0
GW
|
0
W
|
0.1
GW
|
1e+8
W
|
0.2
GW
|
2e+8
W
|
0.3
GW
|
3e+8
W
|
0.4
GW
|
4e+8
W
|
0.5
GW
|
5e+8
W
|
0.6
GW
|
6e+8
W
|
0.7
GW
|
7e+8
W
|
0.8
GW
|
8e+8
W
|
0.9
GW
|
9e+8
W
|
1
GW
|
1e+9
W
|
1.1
GW
|
1.1e+9
W
|
1.2
GW
|
1.2e+9
W
|
1.3
GW
|
1.3e+9
W
|
1.4
GW
|
1.4e+9
W
|
1.5
GW
|
1.5e+9
W
|
1.6
GW
|
1.6e+9
W
|
1.7
GW
|
1.7e+9
W
|
1.8
GW
|
1.8e+9
W
|
1.9
GW
|
1.9e+9
W
|
2
GW
|
2e+9
W
|
2.1
GW
|
2.1e+9
W
|
2.2
GW
|
2.2e+9
W
|
2.3
GW
|
2.3e+9
W
|
2.4
GW
|
2.4e+9
W
|
2.5
GW
|
2.5e+9
W
|
2.6
GW
|
2.6e+9
W
|
2.7
GW
|
2.7e+9
W
|
2.8
GW
|
2.8e+9
W
|
2.9
GW
|
2.9e+9
W
|
3
GW
|
3e+9
W
|
3.1
GW
|
3.1e+9
W
|
3.2
GW
|
3.2e+9
W
|
3.3
GW
|
3.3e+9
W
|
3.4
GW
|
3.4e+9
W
|
3.5
GW
|
3.5e+9
W
|
3.6
GW
|
3.6e+9
W
|
3.7
GW
|
3.7e+9
W
|
3.8
GW
|
3.8e+9
W
|
3.9
GW
|
3.9e+9
W
|
4
GW
|
4e+9
W
|
4.1
GW
|
4.1e+9
W
|
4.2
GW
|
4.2e+9
W
|
4.3
GW
|
4.3e+9
W
|
4.4
GW
|
4.4e+9
W
|
4.5
GW
|
4.5e+9
W
|
4.6
GW
|
4.6e+9
W
|
4.7
GW
|
4.7e+9
W
|
4.8
GW
|
4.8e+9
W
|
4.9
GW
|
4.9e+9
W
|
5
GW
|
5e+9
W
|
5.1
GW
|
5.1e+9
W
|
5.2
GW
|
5.2e+9
W
|
5.3
GW
|
5.3e+9
W
|
5.4
GW
|
5.4e+9
W
|
5.5
GW
|
5.5e+9
W
|
5.6
GW
|
5.6e+9
W
|
5.7
GW
|
5.7e+9
W
|
5.8
GW
|
5.8e+9
W
|
5.9
GW
|
5.9e+9
W
|
6
GW
|
6e+9
W
|
6.1
GW
|
6.1e+9
W
|
6.2
GW
|
6.2e+9
W
|
6.3
GW
|
6.3e+9
W
|
6.4
GW
|
6.4e+9
W
|
6.5
GW
|
6.5e+9
W
|
6.6
GW
|
6.6e+9
W
|
6.7
GW
|
6.7e+9
W
|
6.8
GW
|
6.8e+9
W
|
6.9
GW
|
6.9e+9
W
|
7
GW
|
7e+9
W
|
7.1
GW
|
7.1e+9
W
|
7.2
GW
|
7.2e+9
W
|
7.3
GW
|
7.3e+9
W
|
7.4
GW
|
7.4e+9
W
|
7.5
GW
|
7.5e+9
W
|
7.6
GW
|
7.6e+9
W
|
7.7
GW
|
7.7e+9
W
|
7.8
GW
|
7.8e+9
W
|
7.9
GW
|
7.9e+9
W
|
8
GW
|
8e+9
W
|
8.1
GW
|
8.1e+9
W
|
8.2
GW
|
8.2e+9
W
|
8.3
GW
|
8.3e+9
W
|
8.4
GW
|
8.4e+9
W
|
8.5
GW
|
8.5e+9
W
|
8.6
GW
|
8.6e+9
W
|
8.7
GW
|
8.7e+9
W
|
8.8
GW
|
8.8e+9
W
|
8.9
GW
|
8.9e+9
W
|
9
GW
|
9e+9
W
|
9.1
GW
|
9.1e+9
W
|
9.2
GW
|
9.2e+9
W
|
9.3
GW
|
9.3e+9
W
|
9.4
GW
|
9.4e+9
W
|
9.5
GW
|
9.5e+9
W
|
9.6
GW
|
9.6e+9
W
|
9.7
GW
|
9.7e+9
W
|
9.8
GW
|
9.8e+9
W
|
9.9
GW
|
9.9e+9
W
|
10
GW
|
1e+10
W
|
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