Convert Milliwatts to Gigawatts
Convert Milliwatts (mW) to Gigawatts (GW) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
GW = mW × 1.000000000e-12
About Milliwatts
A milliwatt (mW) is 10⁻³ W - the power scale of consumer wireless communications. Wi-Fi access points transmit at 100 mW (20 dBm); mobile phones peak at up to 1,000 mW. A laser pointer emits 1-5 mW; an LED indicator 10 mW; Bluetooth Classic peaks at 100 mW. Standby power implications: 1 mW × 10⁹ devices × 1 year = 8,760 MWh - enough to power a small town, underscoring why milliwatt standby matters at scale. 1 mW = 10⁻³ 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
| Milliwatts (mW) | Gigawatts (GW) |
|---|---|
| 1 mW | 1 × 10-12 GW |
| 2 mW | 2 × 10-12 GW |
| 5 mW | 5 × 10-12 GW |
| 10 mW | 1 × 10-11 GW |
| 25 mW | 2.5 × 10-11 GW |
| 50 mW | 5 × 10-11 GW |
| 100 mW | 1 × 10-10 GW |