Convert Kilowatts to Gigawatts
Convert Kilowatts (kW) to Gigawatts (GW) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
GW = kW × 1.000000000e-6
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.
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
| Kilowatts (kW) | Gigawatts (GW) |
|---|---|
| 1 kW | 1 × 10-6 GW |
| 2 kW | 2 × 10-6 GW |
| 5 kW | 5 × 10-6 GW |
| 10 kW | 1 × 10-5 GW |
| 25 kW | 2.5 × 10-5 GW |
| 50 kW | 5 × 10-5 GW |
| 100 kW | 1 × 10-4 GW |