Convert BTU per Second to Gigawatts
Convert BTU per Second (BTU/s) to Gigawatts (GW) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
GW = BTU/s × 1.055055853e-6
About BTU per Second
One BTU per second (BTU/s) ≈ 1,055 W - close to 1 kW but slightly larger. Used when heat rates are so high that per-hour or per-minute numbers become unwieldy. In fire protection engineering, large house fires peak at 500-2,000 BTU/s; industrial fires at millions of BTU/s. Blast characterisation for petrochemical safety and large industrial heat exchangers with duties of millions of BTU/h are conveniently expressed in BTU/s. Since 1 BTU/s ≈ 1.055 kW, conversion to SI is straightforward. 1 BTU/s = 1,055.056 W.
About Gigawatts
A gigawatt (GW) is 10⁹ W - the scale of national grid capacity. UK peak demand is 40-70 GW; France 80-100 GW. Japan's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex totals 8.2 GW. World installed solar PV surpassed 1,000 GW in 2022. The North Sea Link Norway-UK undersea cable carries 1.4 GW. Global data centre consumption exceeds 200 GW. A lightning bolt peaks at ~1 GW for ~30 µs, yielding only ~250 kJ total energy - power is extreme, energy modest. 1 GW = 10⁹ W.
Quick Reference Table
| BTU per Second (BTU/s) | Gigawatts (GW) |
|---|---|
| 1 BTU/s | 1.055 × 10-6 GW |
| 2 BTU/s | 2.11 × 10-6 GW |
| 5 BTU/s | 5.275 × 10-6 GW |
| 10 BTU/s | 1.055 × 10-5 GW |
| 25 BTU/s | 2.638 × 10-5 GW |
| 50 BTU/s | 5.275 × 10-5 GW |
| 100 BTU/s | 0.000105506 GW |