Convert Ergs per Second to Gigawatts
Convert Ergs per Second (erg/s) to Gigawatts (GW) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
GW = erg/s × 1.000000000e-16
About Ergs per Second
An erg per second (erg/s) is the CGS unit of power - exactly 10⁻⁷ W. Despite SI adoption, erg/s persists in astrophysics: the Sun's total luminosity is 3.828 × 10³³ erg/s; a peak supernova radiates ~10⁴³ erg/s - more power than the Sun emits over its 10-billion-year lifetime. X-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei, and neutron star accretion rates are catalogued in erg/s across decades of archival literature. 1 erg/s = 10⁻⁷ 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
| Ergs per Second (erg/s) | Gigawatts (GW) |
|---|---|
| 1 erg/s | 1 × 10-16 GW |
| 2 erg/s | 2 × 10-16 GW |
| 5 erg/s | 5 × 10-16 GW |
| 10 erg/s | 1 × 10-15 GW |
| 25 erg/s | 2.5 × 10-15 GW |
| 50 erg/s | 5 × 10-15 GW |
| 100 erg/s | 1 × 10-14 GW |