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Power converter

gigawatt to watt

Convert gigawatt (GW) to watt (W). Use an editable power converter, conversion formula, and reference table.

1,000,000,000

1 GW = 1,000,000,000 W

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Conversion formula

W = GW × 1,000,000,000

One gigawatt equals 1,000,000,000 watt. Multiply your value in gigawatt by this factor to get watt. For the reverse conversion, divide by the same factor.

Worked example

To convert 5 gigawatt:
5 × 1,000,000,000 = 5,000,000,000 W

Conversion table

gigawatt (GW)watt (W)
0.0110,000,000
0.1100,000,000
11,000,000,000
22,000,000,000
55,000,000,000
1010,000,000,000
2525,000,000,000
5050,000,000,000
100100,000,000,000
10001e+12

About these measurements

Power is the rate of energy transfer.

The base reference used here is the watt. One gigawatt is 1,000,000,000 base units; one watt is 1 base units.

Important distinctions

Mechanical horsepower and metric horsepower are distinct units.

Precision

The converter uses stored conversion factors and floating-point arithmetic. Results display up to ten significant digits, switching to scientific notation for very small or large values. Keep the precision of your original measurement when reporting results.

Common questions

How do I convert GW to W?

Multiply the quantity in GW by 1,000,000,000. You can also type the value into the converter above.

Can I reverse the conversion?

Yes. Use the swap button or open the watt to gigawatt converter.

Reference

NIST Guide to the SI — conversion factors and prefix conventions. SI prefixes scale units by powers of ten; the dimension-specific notes above describe the assumptions used on this page.

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