We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Engineering

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Megawatt?

Mary McMahon
By
Updated: May 21, 2024
Views: 29,664
Share

A megawatt is a unit of power. This term is often used in the context of discussing either devices which draw a great deal of power, or plants which manufacture power. Megawatts may also come up in the context of discussions about natural phenomena such as lightning. Lightning can potentially discharge power measured in the hundreds of megawatts, which is one reason why alternative power advocates are have toyed with the idea of lightning as a potential electricity source.

Like related terms such as kilowatt and terawatt, the megawatt is based on a unit of power known as a watt. One megawatt equals one million watts. To put this in perspective, a household light bulb is often 100 watts, so a megawatt equals a whole lot of lightbulbs. The term “watt” refers to power which is used instantaneously; when that 100 watt lightbulb is turned on, it draws 100 watts. Were there such as a thing as a one megawatt lightbulb, it would draw one million watts when turned on. (And be extremely bright.)

The megawatt is such a large unit of power that it comes up primarily in discussions about the industrial applications of power. Certain scientific equipment, such as a particle accelerator, may have a power draw which is measured in megawatts. Likewise, large ships such as air craft carriers may require power measured in megawatts, which requires an extremely robust power plant.

Output of power plants may be described in megawatts, with one thousand megawatts being a common goal for a power plant. It is important to be aware that when people talk about the capacity for a power plant's output, that doesn't mean that the plant will output at that capacity continuously. Plants need to be taken offline for maintenance sometimes, and they may also adjust power production to respond to changing demand. Thus, a 1,000 megawatt power plant may only have an average production rate of 750 megawatts.

A rather outdated formula states that a megawatt can power 1,000 homes. Thanks to the changing nature of electricity demand, this is no longer the case in many regions of the world. Heating and cooling systems draw a lot of power, and increasing numbers of homes have their own washers and dryers, electronics, and other appliances which add to the power they draw, driving up demand. Meeting this shifting demand and balancing the industrial need for power is a challenge in many nations.

Share
All The Science is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a All The Science researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Discussion Comments
By MiPinguino — On Jun 05, 2011

An easy way to look at this is through lightbulbs. Take an average 100 watt lightbulb, for example. One megawatt could power 10,000 of these! If you somehow had a megawatt lightbulb, the surrounding area would look as if lightning was repeatedly striking in your home.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

Learn more
Share
https://www.allthescience.org/what-is-a-megawatt.htm
Copy this link
All The Science, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

All The Science, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.