Convert Watts to Gigawatts
Convert Watts (W) to Gigawatts (GW) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
GW = W × 1.000000000e-9
About Watts
The watt (W) is the SI unit of power - 1 J/s - named after James Watt (1736-1819). Familiar power levels: smartphone charging 5-65 W; laptop 15-100 W; microwave 700-1,200 W; electric kettle 2,000-3,000 W; human resting metabolism ~80 W; peak sprint ~2,000 W. The now-obsolete 100 W incandescent bulb is replaced by a 10-15 W LED producing the same light. In AC circuits, reactive power uses the var and apparent power the VA, both derived from watts. 1 W = 1 J/s = 1 kg·m²/s³.
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
| Watts (W) | Gigawatts (GW) |
|---|---|
| 1 W | 1 × 10-9 GW |
| 2 W | 2 × 10-9 GW |
| 5 W | 5 × 10-9 GW |
| 10 W | 1 × 10-8 GW |
| 25 W | 2.5 × 10-8 GW |
| 50 W | 5 × 10-8 GW |
| 100 W | 1 × 10-7 GW |