About Kilowatts (kW) to Megawatts (MW) Conversion

What are Kilowatts and Megawatts?

Kilowatts (kW) and megawatts (MW) are both units used to measure electrical power, but they differ in scale:

• Kilowatt (kW): A unit of power equal to 1,000 watts. It's commonly used to measure the power output of smaller electrical devices and residential power consumption.
• Megawatt (MW): A unit of power equal to 1,000,000 watts or 1,000 kilowatts. It's typically used to measure the output of power plants and large-scale industrial operations.

Formula for Kilowatts to Megawatts Conversion

The formula to convert kilowatts to megawatts is:

\[MW = kW \div 1000\]

Where:

• \(MW\) is the power in megawatts
• \(kW\) is the power in kilowatts
• \(1000\) is the conversion factor

Calculation Steps

1. Identify the power in kilowatts.
2. Divide the kilowatt value by 1000.
3. The result is the equivalent power in megawatts.

Example

Let's convert 5000 kilowatts to megawatts:

1. Given: \(kW = 5000\)
2. Apply the formula: \(MW = 5000 \div 1000\)
3. Calculate: \(MW = 5\)

Visual representation:

Therefore, 5000 kilowatts is equivalent to 5 megawatts.