Convert Watts (W) to Megawatts (MW)

Q: How many watts in a megawatt?

Exactly 1,000,000 watts (one million). This is an exact SI definition.

Q: What uses a megawatt of power?

1 MW can power about 750 average US homes simultaneously. It is the output of a single large wind turbine or a small gas turbine generator.

Q: What is the difference between MW and MWh?

MW is power (instantaneous rate). MWh is energy (total over time). A 1 MW turbine running for 1 hour produces 1 MWh. Running 24 hours = 24 MWh.

1 watt equals 1 × 10⁻⁶ megawatts.

Formula: MW = W × 1 × 10⁻⁶

Watt to Megawatt Converter

What Is a Watt?

The watt (W) is the SI base unit of power, equal to one joule per second (1 W = 1 J/s). Named after James Watt, it measures the rate of energy transfer. Individual devices — light bulbs, chargers, appliances — are rated in watts.

What Is a Megawatt?

The megawatt (MW) is an SI unit of power equal to 1,000,000 watts (one million watts) or 1,000 kilowatts. It is used for power plant capacity, wind and solar farm output, and large-scale industrial power ratings.

Watts to Megawatts Formula

The conversion is exact by SI definition:

megawatts = watts ÷ 1,000,000

The "mega-" prefix means exactly one million (10⁶). No rounding needed.

Worked Example

Convert 5,000,000 watts (a 5 MW solar farm) to megawatts:

Divide: 5,000,000 ÷ 1,000,000 = 5 MW

Common Watts to Megawatts Conversions

Watts	Megawatts	Context
10 W	0.00001 MW	LED light bulb
100 W	0.0001 MW	Incandescent bulb / laptop charger
1,000 W	0.001 MW	1 kW — microwave oven
10,000 W	0.01 MW	10 kW — large residential solar
100,000 W	0.1 MW	100 kW — commercial solar / Tesla Supercharger
500,000 W	0.5 MW	Small wind turbine
1,000,000 W	1 MW	Powers ~750 US homes (average)
2,500,000 W	2.5 MW	Typical onshore wind turbine
10,000,000 W	10 MW	Offshore wind turbine (modern)
100,000,000 W	100 MW	Small gas-fired power plant
1,000,000,000 W	1,000 MW	1 GW — large nuclear reactor

When You Need This Conversion

Scale comparison: Understanding how many household devices equal a power plant. A 1 MW plant = 1,000,000 W = the equivalent of 10,000 LED bulbs (100W each) running simultaneously.
Solar sizing: Residential systems are in watts/kW; commercial in MW. A 400 W panel × 25,000 panels = 10,000,000 W = 10 MW solar farm.
Energy education: Bridging the gap between everyday watts (phone charger: 20 W) and infrastructure megawatts (wind turbine: 3 MW) helps contextualize energy discussions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many watts in a megawatt?

Exactly 1,000,000 watts (one million). This is an exact SI definition.

What uses a megawatt of power?

1 MW can power about 750 average US homes simultaneously. It is the output of a single large wind turbine or a small gas turbine generator.

What is the difference between MW and MWh?

MW is power (instantaneous rate). MWh is energy (total over time). A 1 MW turbine running for 1 hour produces 1 MWh. Running 24 hours = 24 MWh.

How do I convert watts to kilowatts?

Divide by 1,000. Example: 1,500 W = 1.5 kW. The SI prefix chain: W → kW (÷1,000) → MW (÷1,000) → GW (÷1,000).

Common Watt to Megawatt Conversions

Watt to Megawatt (Part 1)

Watt	Megawatt	Actions
100000 watts	0.1 megawatts
500000 watts	12 megawatts

Watt to Megawatt (Part 2)

Watt	Megawatt	Actions
1000000 watts	1 megawatt

Watts to megawatts Conversion Table

Reference table with common watts to megawatts conversions. All values calculated with high precision.

Watts to Megawatts Table
100 to 500000

Watts	Megawatts	Actions
100 W	0.0001 MW
250 W	0.00025 MW
500 W	0.0005 MW
1000 W	0.001 MW
2500 W	0.0025 MW
5000 W	0.005 MW
10000 W	0.01 MW
25000 W	0.025 MW
50000 W	0.05 MW
100000 W	0.1 MW
250000 W	14 MW
500000 W	12 MW

Watts to Megawatts Table
1000000 to 1 × 10¹¹

Watts	Megawatts	Actions
1000000 W	1 MW
2500000 W	2 12 MW
5000000 W	5 MW
10000000 W	10 MW
2.5 × 10⁷ W	25 MW
5 × 10⁷ W	50 MW
1 × 10⁸ W	100 MW
2.5 × 10⁸ W	250 MW
5 × 10⁸ W	500 MW
1 × 10⁹ W	1000 MW
2.5 × 10⁹ W	2500 MW
5 × 10⁹ W	5000 MW
1 × 10¹⁰ W	10000 MW
2.5 × 10¹⁰ W	25000 MW
5 × 10¹⁰ W	50000 MW
1 × 10¹¹ W	100000 MW

Megawatts to Watts Table
0.0001 to 12

Megawatts	Watts	Actions
0.0001 MW	100 W
0.00025 MW	250 W
0.0005 MW	500 W
0.001 MW	1000 W
0.0025 MW	2500 W
0.005 MW	5000 W
0.01 MW	10000 W
0.025 MW	25000 W
0.05 MW	50000 W
0.1 MW	100000 W
14 MW	250000 W
12 MW	500000 W

Megawatts to Watts Table
1 to 100000

Megawatts	Watts	Actions
1 MW	1000000 W
2 12 MW	2500000 W
5 MW	5000000 W
10 MW	10000000 W
25 MW	2.5 × 10⁷ W
50 MW	5 × 10⁷ W
100 MW	1 × 10⁸ W
250 MW	2.5 × 10⁸ W
500 MW	5 × 10⁸ W
1000 MW	1 × 10⁹ W
2500 MW	2.5 × 10⁹ W
5000 MW	5 × 10⁹ W
10000 MW	1 × 10¹⁰ W
25000 MW	2.5 × 10¹⁰ W
50000 MW	5 × 10¹⁰ W
100000 MW	1 × 10¹¹ W

Looking for the reverse? Convert Megawatt to Watt

Related Power Converters

Explore other power conversion tools:

Related in other categories:

Joules to kWh — Energy = power × time (kWh = kW × hours)

Conversion factors verified against NIST, BIPM, ISO 80000-4 Based on SI base units (W = J/s, BIPM). Last reviewed: April 2026

By Adilson Fernandes

Reviewed by Tiago Fernandes

All unit conversions on CoolConversion use conversion factors defined or documented by internationally recognised standards bodies (such as ISO and NIST), including both SI and non-SI units.