Convert Gigawatts to Exawatts
Convert Gigawatts (GW) to Exawatts (EW) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
EW = GW × 1.000000000e-9
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.
About Exawatts
An exawatt (EW) is 10¹⁸ W. The Sun's total luminosity is 3.828 × 10²⁶ W = 3.828 × 10⁸ EW. Earth intercepts ~0.174 EW of solar power. Gamma-ray burst peak luminosities reach 10⁶-10¹ EW, making them the most powerful transients in the universe. Soft gamma-repeater (magnetar) giant flares briefly reach ~10⁵ EW. Proposed multi-exawatt laser projects (IZEST initiative) aim to compress kilojoules into attosecond pulses for QED vacuum physics. Global human civilisation consumes ~1.8 × 10⁻² EW (18 TW). 1 EW = 10¹⁸ W.
Quick Reference Table
| Gigawatts (GW) | Exawatts (EW) |
|---|---|
| 1 GW | 1 × 10-9 EW |
| 2 GW | 2 × 10-9 EW |
| 5 GW | 5 × 10-9 EW |
| 10 GW | 1 × 10-8 EW |
| 25 GW | 2.5 × 10-8 EW |
| 50 GW | 5 × 10-8 EW |
| 100 GW | 1 × 10-7 EW |