Convert Gigawatts to Kilowatts
Convert Gigawatts (GW) to Kilowatts (kW) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
kW = GW × 1000000
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 Kilowatts
A kilowatt (kW) is 1,000 W - the everyday unit for home, vehicle, and industrial power. Average US home consumption is ~1.2 kW continuous (~10,500 kWh/year). EV motors range from 30 kW (city cars) to 600+ kW (performance models); a Tesla Model S Performance produces 560 kW (751 hp). Industrial gas turbines on commercial aircraft generate 20,000-100,000 kW. Solar installations are sized in kW-peak. Industrial electric motors span from fractional kW to thousands of kW. 1 kW = 1,000 W = 1.341 hp = 3,412.1 BTU/h.
Quick Reference Table
| Gigawatts (GW) | Kilowatts (kW) |
|---|---|
| 1 GW | 1000000 kW |
| 2 GW | 2000000 kW |
| 5 GW | 5000000 kW |
| 10 GW | 10000000 kW |
| 25 GW | 25000000 kW |
| 50 GW | 50000000 kW |
| 100 GW | 100000000 kW |