MW
Definition
The megawatt equals 1,000,000 watts. Used for power-station capacity and large industrial loads. Typical wind turbine: 2–15 MW. Nuclear reactor: 1000 MW (electrical). A city of 100,000 needs roughly 100 MW peak.
Common uses
- Power-station electrical output
- Wind and solar farm capacity
- Large industrial electricity consumption
🌍 Real-world scale
Large wind turbine: 5–15 MW. Nuclear reactor: 1000 MW. London's peak demand: ~6000 MW.
Convert from megawatts
7 conversionsMegawatt to Watt1 MW = 1,000,000 WMegawatt to Kilowatt1 MW = 1,000 kWMegawatt to Mechanical Horsepower1 MW = 1,341.02 hpMegawatt to Metric Horsepower1 MW = 1,359.62 PSMegawatt to BTU per Hour1 MW = 3,412,141.64 BTU/hMegawatt to Foot-Pound per Second1 MW = 737,562.15 ft·lbf/sMegawatt to Volt-Ampere1 MW = 1,000,000 VA
Convert to megawatts
7 conversionsWatt to Megawatt1 W = 1.0000e-6 MWKilowatt to Megawatt1 kW = 0.001 MWMechanical Horsepower to Megawatt1 hp = 0.0007457 MWMetric Horsepower to Megawatt1 PS = 0.0007355 MWBTU per Hour to Megawatt1 BTU/h = 2.9307e-7 MWFoot-Pound per Second to Megawatt1 ft·lbf/s = 1.3558e-6 MWVolt-Ampere to Megawatt1 VA = 1.0000e-6 MW
Tips
- 1 MW = 1000 kW = 1,000,000 W.
- GW (gigawatt) = 1000 MW for country-scale generation.
- For energy output, multiply MW × hours = MWh.
Common mistakes
- Confusing MW (power) with MWh (energy).
- Using kW for large generation — numbers become unwieldy.
- Mixing installed capacity (MW) with actual output (which depends on use).
FAQ about the megawatt
Explore all 8 power units and their conversions.⚡ Power hub →