About Watts (W) to Gigawatts (GW) Conversion

What are Watts and Gigawatts?

Watts (W) and gigawatts (GW) are both units used to measure electrical power:

• Watt (W): The SI unit of power, defined as one joule per second. It measures the rate of energy transfer.
• Gigawatt (GW): A unit of power equal to one billion watts. It's commonly used for measuring large amounts of electrical power, such as the output of power plants or the energy consumption of entire cities.

Formula for Watts to Gigawatts Conversion

The formula to convert watts to gigawatts is:

\[GW = \frac{W}{1,000,000,000}\]

Where:

• \(GW\) is the power in gigawatts
• \(W\) is the power in watts
• 1,000,000,000 is the conversion factor from watts to gigawatts

Calculation Steps

1. Identify the power in watts.
2. Divide the watt value by 1,000,000,000.
3. The result is the power in gigawatts.

Example

Let's convert 5,000,000,000 watts to gigawatts:

1. Given: \(W = 5,000,000,000\)
2. Apply the formula: \(GW = \frac{5,000,000,000}{1,000,000,000}\)
3. Calculate: \(GW = 5\)

Visual representation:

Therefore, 5,000,000,000 watts is equivalent to 5 gigawatts.