Convert Megawatts to Ergs per Second
Convert Megawatts (MW) to Ergs per Second (erg/s) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
erg/s = MW × 10000000000000
About Megawatts
A megawatt (MW) is 10⁶ W - the standard unit for utility power plant output. A coal unit produces 300-900 MW; a large nuclear reactor 1,000-1,600 MW. Offshore wind turbines reach 15 MW each (Vestas V236-15.0). The Three Gorges Dam totals 22,500 MW. Aluminium smelters consume 500-600 MW; electric arc furnaces 100-300 MW. Solar farms are rated in MWp; pharmaceutical clean-room HVAC systems in MW. 1 MW = 10⁶ W = 1,341 mechanical hp.
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.
Quick Reference Table
| Megawatts (MW) | Ergs per Second (erg/s) |
|---|---|
| 1 MW | 1 × 1013 erg/s |
| 2 MW | 2 × 1013 erg/s |
| 5 MW | 5 × 1013 erg/s |
| 10 MW | 1 × 1014 erg/s |
| 25 MW | 2.5 × 1014 erg/s |
| 50 MW | 5 × 1014 erg/s |
| 100 MW | 1 × 1015 erg/s |