Gigawatt to Megawatt Converter

A gigawatt (GW) is a unit of power equal to one billion watts (10⁹ W). It represents extremely large amounts of power typically associated with major power plants, national electricity grids, and large-scale energy infrastructure.

The gigawatt became important with the development of large-scale power generation in the 20th century. It provided a convenient scale for describing the output of major power plants, particularly nuclear and large hydroelectric facilities, and became essential for energy policy and grid planning.

Gigawatts are used to measure the capacity of large power plants, national electricity consumption, renewable energy installations, and major industrial facilities. They're standard for describing nuclear plant output, large solar farms, and national energy statistics.

A megawatt (MW) is a unit of power equal to one million watts (10⁶ W). It represents large amounts of power commonly used to describe the output of power plants, large motors, and significant electrical installations.

The megawatt became standard with the growth of electrical power systems in the early 20th century. It provided an appropriate scale for describing power plant capacities, large industrial equipment, and electrical grid components as electricity became widespread.

Megawatts are extensively used in the power industry for plant capacity ratings, large motor specifications, wind turbine output, and electrical grid planning. They're standard for power plant ratings, large industrial equipment, and renewable energy project specifications.