About Units

Watt: The watt (W) is a unit of power in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one joule per second. It is named after James Watt, an 18th-century Scottish inventor. Watts are commonly used to measure the rate of energy transfer in electrical systems. For example, a typical incandescent light bulb consumes about 60 watts of power.

Gigawatt: The gigawatt (GW) is a unit of power equal to one billion watts. Gigawatts are used to measure the capacity of very large power plants and the total power consumption of entire countries. For example, the total electrical generating capacity of a large nuclear power plant can be around 1 gigawatt.