The kilowatt, a unit of power equal to 1,000 watts, is widely used to measure electricity consumption and production. Beyond its role in tracking household energy use, the kilowatt also plays a critical part in the automotive industry, especially with the rise of electric vehicles (EVs). Interestingly, while car enthusiasts often discuss horsepower, the power of EVs is typically rated in kilowatts. For instance, 1 kilowatt roughly equals 1.34 horsepower.
Moreover, the record for the highest wind turbine currently stands at generating a jaw-dropping 14 megawatts—14,000 kilowatts—sufficient to power thousands of homes annually. As sustainable energy solutions become prominent, the kilowatt serves as a crucial unit for understanding and advancing our energy-efficient future.
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.
| Kilowatts | Gigawatts |
|---|---|
0
kW
|
0
GW
|
1
kW
|
0.000001
GW
|
2
kW
|
0.000002
GW
|
3
kW
|
0.000003
GW
|
4
kW
|
0.000004
GW
|
5
kW
|
0.000005
GW
|
6
kW
|
0.000006
GW
|
7
kW
|
0.000007
GW
|
8
kW
|
0.000008
GW
|
9
kW
|
0.000009
GW
|
10
kW
|
0.00001
GW
|
11
kW
|
0.000011
GW
|
12
kW
|
0.000012
GW
|
13
kW
|
0.000013
GW
|
14
kW
|
0.000014
GW
|
15
kW
|
0.000015
GW
|
16
kW
|
0.000016
GW
|
17
kW
|
0.000017
GW
|
18
kW
|
0.000018
GW
|
19
kW
|
0.000019
GW
|
20
kW
|
0.00002
GW
|
21
kW
|
0.000021
GW
|
22
kW
|
0.000022
GW
|
23
kW
|
0.000023
GW
|
24
kW
|
0.000024
GW
|
25
kW
|
0.000025
GW
|
26
kW
|
0.000026
GW
|
27
kW
|
0.000027
GW
|
28
kW
|
0.000028
GW
|
29
kW
|
0.000029
GW
|
30
kW
|
0.00003
GW
|
31
kW
|
0.000031
GW
|
32
kW
|
0.000032
GW
|
33
kW
|
0.000033
GW
|
34
kW
|
0.000034
GW
|
35
kW
|
0.000035
GW
|
36
kW
|
0.000036
GW
|
37
kW
|
0.000037
GW
|
38
kW
|
0.000038
GW
|
39
kW
|
0.000039
GW
|
40
kW
|
0.00004
GW
|
41
kW
|
0.000041
GW
|
42
kW
|
0.000042
GW
|
43
kW
|
0.000043
GW
|
44
kW
|
0.000044
GW
|
45
kW
|
0.000045
GW
|
46
kW
|
0.000046
GW
|
47
kW
|
0.000047
GW
|
48
kW
|
0.000048
GW
|
49
kW
|
0.000049
GW
|
50
kW
|
0.00005
GW
|
51
kW
|
0.000051
GW
|
52
kW
|
0.000052
GW
|
53
kW
|
0.000053
GW
|
54
kW
|
0.000054
GW
|
55
kW
|
0.000055
GW
|
56
kW
|
0.000056
GW
|
57
kW
|
0.000057
GW
|
58
kW
|
0.000058
GW
|
59
kW
|
0.000059
GW
|
60
kW
|
0.00006
GW
|
61
kW
|
0.000061
GW
|
62
kW
|
0.000062
GW
|
63
kW
|
0.000063
GW
|
64
kW
|
0.000064
GW
|
65
kW
|
0.000065
GW
|
66
kW
|
0.000066
GW
|
67
kW
|
0.000067
GW
|
68
kW
|
0.000068
GW
|
69
kW
|
0.000069
GW
|
70
kW
|
0.00007
GW
|
71
kW
|
0.000071
GW
|
72
kW
|
0.000072
GW
|
73
kW
|
0.000073
GW
|
74
kW
|
0.000074
GW
|
75
kW
|
0.000075
GW
|
76
kW
|
0.000076
GW
|
77
kW
|
0.000077
GW
|
78
kW
|
0.000078
GW
|
79
kW
|
0.000079
GW
|
80
kW
|
0.00008
GW
|
81
kW
|
0.000081
GW
|
82
kW
|
0.000082
GW
|
83
kW
|
0.000083
GW
|
84
kW
|
0.000084
GW
|
85
kW
|
0.000085
GW
|
86
kW
|
0.000086
GW
|
87
kW
|
0.000087
GW
|
88
kW
|
0.000088
GW
|
89
kW
|
0.000089
GW
|
90
kW
|
0.00009
GW
|
91
kW
|
0.000091
GW
|
92
kW
|
0.000092
GW
|
93
kW
|
0.000093
GW
|
94
kW
|
0.000094
GW
|
95
kW
|
0.000095
GW
|
96
kW
|
0.000096
GW
|
97
kW
|
0.000097
GW
|
98
kW
|
0.000098
GW
|
99
kW
|
0.000099
GW
|
100
kW
|
0.0001
GW
|
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