What is a Megawatt?

A megawatt (MW) is a unit of power equaling one million watts (1 megawatt = 1,000,000 watts).

A home would never use enough electricity to warrant a megawatt conversion; however, large businesses such as factories could conceivably justify this unit of measurement.

To put it in perspective, under non-severe weather conditions, one megawatt could power roughly 500 average-sized American homes.

Since megawatts are such a large measurement, they’re often used to describe large solar plants, solar farms, and wind turbines.

*Go Green* Tip!

Currently, the world’s largest wind turbine, the Enercon E-126, can produce
over 7-megawatts per year (enough to power around 3,000 U.S. homes).