Power Unit Conversion

Power unit conversion is an important calculation tool in engineering technology and daily life. This page provides comprehensive power unit conversion services, covering mutual conversion between watts (W), kilowatts (kW), megawatts (MW), gigawatts (GW), horsepower (hp/PS) and other common power units. Whether you need electrical unit conversion, horsepower and kilowatt conversion, or to query various power calculation formulas, here you can get accurate conversion results and detailed formula explanations.

Main Features:

Support electrical unit conversion including watts, milliwatts, kilowatts, megawatts, gigawatts
Provide horsepower conversion functions, including imperial horsepower (hp) and metric horsepower (PS)
Detailed power calculation formulas and conversion relationship tables
Real-time online calculation, enter values to get conversion results instantly

Power Unit Conversion Formula Table

Power unit conversion is a fundamental calculation in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and energy management. The table below details the definitions and conversion formulas for various power units to help you quickly perform power calculations and unit conversions.

Unit	Name	Definition	Conversion Formula (Based on W)
W	Watt	Basic power unit in International System of Units, 1 watt equals 1 joule/second	1 W = 1 W
mW	Milliwatt	Common unit for low-power devices, 1 milliwatt = 0.001 watt	1 W = 1000 mW
kW	Kilowatt	Common unit for household appliance power, 1 kilowatt = 1000 watts	1 kW = 1000 W
MW	Megawatt	Power unit for large power generation equipment, 1 megawatt = 1000 kilowatts	1 MW = 1000 kW = 10⁶ W
GW	Gigawatt	Power unit for ultra-large power plants, 1 gigawatt = 1000 megawatts	1 GW = 1000 MW = 10⁹ W
PS	Metric Horsepower	European automotive industry standard, 1 metric horsepower = 735.5 watts	1 PS = 735.5 W
Btu/s	British Thermal Unit/second	Common in refrigeration and air conditioning industry, 1 Btu/s ≈ 1055 watts	1 Btu/s ≈ 1055 W
ft-lb/s	Foot-pound/second	Mechanical engineering torque power unit, 1 ft-lb/s ≈ 1.356 watts	1 ft-lb/s ≈ 1.356 W
hp	Imperial Horsepower	American automotive standard, 1 imperial horsepower = 745.7 watts	1 hp = 745.7 W

Conversion Chain:

1 GW = 1000 MW = 10⁶ kW = 10⁹ W
1 PS = 735.5 W
1 hp = 745.7 W
1 Btu/s = 1055 W
1 ft-lb/s = 1.356 W

Power Units in Daily Life Applications

Understanding the practical applications of various power units helps better understand the importance of power conversion. Below are specific applications of different power units in daily life and industrial fields:

Low-Power Electronic Devices (W, mW)

Watts (W) and milliwatts (mW) are mainly used for low-power electronic devices:

Mobile phone standby power: About 0.1W, charging power can reach 10-20W
Bluetooth headphone transmission power: About 1-10mW, complying with radio management regulations
Sensor power consumption: Temperature and humidity meter working power consumption about 0.5mW, IoT devices commonly use milliwatt-level power
LED light power: Household LED bulbs typically have power of 3-15W

Household Appliance Power (kW)

Kilowatt (kW) is the standard unit for household appliance power:

Air conditioning cooling power: 1 HP air conditioner cooling power ≈ 0.735kW, large 1.5 HP about 1.1kW
Electric kettle power: About 1.5-2kW, representative of high-power household appliances
Microwave oven power: 700W-1.2kW, cooking power directly affects heating efficiency
Induction cooker power: 1-3kW, adjustable power to meet different cooking needs

Electric Vehicle Charging (kW)

Electric vehicle charging power determines charging speed:

Home charging pile power: 7-22kW, slow charging suitable for overnight charging
Fast charging pile power: 50-350kW, 30 minutes can charge 80%
Supercharging station: Power can reach 250kW and above

Large Energy Facilities (MW, GW)

Megawatts (MW) and gigawatts (GW) are used for large power generation facilities:

Nuclear power plant single unit capacity: ≈ 1,000MW (1GW), one unit can supply electricity to millions of households
Three Gorges Power Station total installed capacity: 22.5GW, world's largest hydroelectric station
Photovoltaic power station: 10GW power station annual generation can meet 4 million households' electricity needs
Wind power generation: Single large wind turbine power can reach 3-15MW

Automotive Engine Power (PS, hp)

Horsepower is the traditional unit for automotive engine power:

Family car power: Commonly marked PS (such as 150PS), European cars mostly use metric horsepower
American car power: Mostly use hp (such as 200hp), imperial horsepower common in North America
Supercar engines: Power can reach 500-1000hp and above
Agricultural machinery: Tractor power about 50-100hp, suitable for farmland operations

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems (Btu/s)

British thermal units commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning industry:

Ton of refrigeration and power conversion: 1 ton of refrigeration ≈ 3.517kW ≈ 12,000Btu/h
Home air conditioning cooling capacity: Commonly marked in Btu/h, such as 12000Btu/h equals about 1 HP
Central air conditioning systems: Large commercial air conditioning power can reach hundreds of tons of refrigeration

Mechanical Engineering Applications (ft-lb/s)

Foot-pound/second applications in mechanical engineering:

Small engine torque output: Lawn mower engine power ≈ 5-10ft-lb/s
Industrial machinery: Power measurement and calculation for various mechanical equipment
Torque conversion: Used with horsepower to calculate engine performance parameters

Power Unit Selection and Usage Recommendations

Correctly selecting power units is crucial for accurately expressing and calculating power values. Below are unit usage recommendations for different fields:

Scientific Research and Engineering Calculations

Prioritize International System of Units: Watt (W), kilowatt (kW), megawatt (MW), gigawatt (GW)
Power calculation formulas: P=UI (electrical power), P=Fv (mechanical power), P=W/t (average power)
Energy and power relationship: 1 kilowatt-hour = 1 kWh, power × time = energy

Unit Selection for Different Industries

Electrical Energy Field:

Household appliances: Use kilowatts (kW) and watts (W)
Power plants: Use megawatts (MW) and gigawatts (GW)
Power systems: Ten thousand kilowatts, megawatt-hours (MWh), gigawatt-hours (GWh)

Automotive Industry:

Europe and Asia: Metric horsepower (PS)
North America: Imperial horsepower (hp)
Electric vehicles: Kilowatts (kW) gradually becoming popular

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry:

Cooling capacity: British thermal units/hour (Btu/h)
Power conversion: Note that 1Btu/s = 3,600Btu/h
Ton of refrigeration and kilowatt conversion relationship

Communications and Electronics Field:

Wireless signal power: dBm unit (such as WiFi transmission power ≈ 15-20dBm ≈ 32-100mW)
Low-power devices: Milliwatts (mW) and microwatts (μW)
Power amplifiers: Watts (W) and kilowatts (kW)

Conversion Considerations

Horsepower conversion: Distinguish between metric horsepower (PS) and imperial horsepower (hp) differences
Power and torque: Horsepower = torque × speed ÷ constant, need to consider speed simultaneously
Active power and reactive power: In power systems, need to distinguish between actual consumed power and apparent power
Peak power marking: Solar panels commonly use MWp (peak megawatts) marking

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Basic Concept Questions

Q: What is w unit? A: w is the abbreviation for watt, which is the basic unit of power in the International System of Units. 1 watt equals 1 joule/second, representing energy consumed or produced per second.

Q: What is kw unit? A: kW is the abbreviation for kilowatt. 1 kilowatt = 1000 watts. Kilowatt is a commonly used power unit in daily life, such as household appliance power usually expressed in kilowatts.

Q: What is mw unit? A: MW is the abbreviation for megawatt. 1 megawatt = 1000 kilowatts = 1,000,000 watts. Megawatts are usually used to express the power of large power generation equipment.

Q: What is gw unit? A: GW is the abbreviation for gigawatt. 1 gigawatt = 1000 megawatts = 10⁹ watts. Gigawatts are used to express the power of ultra-large power plants or national-level power systems.

Q: What is gwh unit? A: GWh is the abbreviation for gigawatt-hour, which is an energy unit representing energy produced or consumed by 1 gigawatt of power for 1 hour, equal to 10⁹ watt-hours.

Q: What is hp unit? A: hp is the abbreviation for imperial horsepower. 1 imperial horsepower = 745.7 watts. Mainly used for automotive engine power marking.

Q: What is ps unit? A: PS is the abbreviation for metric horsepower. 1 metric horsepower = 735.5 watts. Widely used in the automotive industry in Europe and Asia.

Q: How many kilowatts in one horsepower? A: 1 imperial horsepower (hp) = 0.7457 kilowatts, 1 metric horsepower (PS) = 0.7355 kilowatts.

Q: What is the horsepower and kilowatt conversion formula? A:

Imperial horsepower to kilowatt: kW = hp × 0.7457
Metric horsepower to kilowatt: kW = PS × 0.7355
Kilowatt to imperial horsepower: hp = kW ÷ 0.7457
Kilowatt to metric horsepower: PS = kW ÷ 0.7355

Conversion Questions

Q: What is the mw and kw conversion relationship? A: 1 megawatt (MW) = 1000 kilowatts (kW). Conversion formula: MW = kW ÷ 1000, kW = MW × 1000.

Q: How to calculate w and mw conversion? A: 1 megawatt (MW) = 1,000,000 watts (W). Conversion formula: MW = W ÷ 1,000,000, W = MW × 1,000,000.

Q: Megawatt and kilowatt conversion formula? A: 1 megawatt = 1000 kilowatts. From megawatt to kilowatt multiply by 1000, from kilowatt to megawatt divide by 1000.

Q: Relationship between ten thousand kilowatts and megawatts? A: 1 ten thousand kilowatts = 10 kilowatts = 0.01 megawatts, 1 megawatt = 1 million watts = 1000 kilowatts.

Practical Application Questions

Q: Kilowatt hour equals how many degrees? A: 1 kilowatt-hour = 1 kWh = 1 degree of electricity. Kilowatt-hour is an electrical energy unit, degree is the common name for kilowatt-hour.

Q: Megawatt hour equals how many degrees? A: 1 megawatt-hour = 1000 kilowatt-hours = 1000 degrees of electricity.

Q: One degree equals how many kilowatt hours? A: 1 degree of electricity = 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh). This is the basic unit for electricity billing.

Q: How many watts in one megawatt? A: 1 megawatt = 1,000,000 watts = 1 million watts.

Q: How to calculate power? A: Power = energy ÷ time, or power = voltage × current (for electrical power). Basic formula: P = W/t, where P is power, W is work, t is time.

Q: Difference between active power and reactive power? A: Active power is actually consumed power used for work; reactive power flows back and forth in inductive and capacitive elements, does no work but occupies grid capacity.

Special Unit Questions

Q: What is db unit? A: dB (decibel) is a logarithmic unit for power ratios, commonly using dBm to express absolute power values. 0dBm = 1 milliwatt.

Q: Difference between mwe and mwp? A: MWe represents electrical power megawatts, MWp represents peak power megawatts, commonly used for rated power marking of solar power generation systems.

Power Unit Conversion ​