Kilowatt to Gigawatt Converter

A kilowatt (kW) is a unit of power equal to one thousand watts (10³ W). It's one of the most commonly used power units, representing the power consumption of household appliances and small to medium electrical equipment.

The kilowatt became widely recognized with the expansion of electrical power to homes and businesses in the early 20th century. It provided a practical scale for household electricity consumption and became the standard unit for electrical billing and appliance ratings.

Kilowatts are universally used for household appliance ratings, small motor specifications, residential solar installations, and electricity billing. They're standard for home electrical consumption, appliance energy labels, and small-scale power systems.

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.