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This page lists examples of the power in watts produced by various sources of energy. They are grouped by orders of magnitude from small to large.
Factor (watts) | SI prefix | Value (watts) | Value (decibel-milliwatts) | Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
10−50 | 5.4 × 10−50 | −463 dBm | astro: Hawking radiation power of the ultramassive black hole TON 618.[1][2] | |
10−27 | ronto- (rW) | 1.64×10−27 | −238 dBm | phys: approximate power of gravitational radiation emitted by a 1000 kg satellite in geosynchronous orbit around the Earth. |
10−24 | yocto- (yW) | 1×10−24 | −210 dBm | |
10−21 | zepto- (zW) | 1×10−21 | −180 dBm | biomed: approximate lowest recorded power consumption of a deep-subsurface marine microbe[3] |
10−20 | 1×10−20 | −170 dBm | tech: approximate power of Galileo space probe's radio signal (when at Jupiter) as received on earth by a 70-meter DSN antenna. | |
10−18 | atto- (aW) | 1×10−18 | −150 dBm | phys: approximate power scale at which operation of nanoelectromechanical systems are overwhelmed by thermal fluctuations.[4] |
10−16 | 1×10−16 | −130 dBm | tech: the GPS signal strength measured at the surface of the Earth.[clarification needed][5] | |
10−16 | 2×10−16 | −127 dBm | biomed: approximate theoretical minimum luminosity detectable by the human eye under perfect conditions | |
10−15 | femto- (fW) | 2.5×10−15 | −116 dBm | tech: minimum discernible signal at the antenna terminal of a good FM radio receiver |
10−14 | 1×10−14 | −110 dBm | tech: approximate lower limit of power reception on digital spread-spectrum cell phones | |
10−12 | pico- (pW) | 1×10−12 | −90 dBm | biomed: average power consumption of a human cell |
10−11 | 1.84×10−11 | −77 dBm | phys: power lost in the form of synchrotron radiation by a proton revolving in the Large Hadron Collider at 7000 GeV[6] | |
2.9×10−11 | −72 dBm | astro: power per square meter received from Proxima Centauri, the closest star known | ||
10−10 | 1×10−10 | −68 dBm | astro: estimated total Hawking radiation power of all black holes in the observable universe.[7][8][9] | |
1.5×10−10 | −68 dBm | biomed: power entering a human eye from a 100-watt lamp 1 km away | ||
10−9 | nano- (nW) | 2–15×10−9 | −57 dBm to −48 dBm | tech: power consumption of 8-bit PIC microcontroller chips when in "sleep" mode |
10−6 | micro- (μW) | 1×10−6 | −30 dBm | tech: approximate consumption of a quartz or mechanical wristwatch |
3×10−6 | −25 dBm | astro: cosmic microwave background radiation per square meter | ||
10−5 | 5×10−5 | −13 dBm | biomed: sound power incident on a human eardrum at the threshold intensity for pain (500 mW/m2). | |
10−3 | milli- (mW) | 1.55×10−3 | −4.7 dBm | astro: power per square meter received from the Sun by Sedna at its aphelion |
5×10−3 | 7 dBm | tech: laser in a CD-ROM drive | ||
5–10×10−3 | 7 dBm to 10 dBm | tech: laser in a DVD player | ||
10−2 | centi- (cW) | 7×10−2 | 18 dBm | tech: antenna power in a typical consumer wireless router |
10−1 | deci- (dW) | 1.2×10−1 | 21 dBm | astro: total proton decay power of Earth, assuming the half life of protons to take on the value 1035 years.[10][11] |
5×10−1 | 27 dBm | tech: maximum allowed carrier output power of an FRS radio |
Factor (watts) | SI prefix | Value (watts) | Item |
---|---|---|---|
100 | W | 1 | tech: cellphone camera light[12] |
1.508 | astro: power per square metre received from the Sun at Neptune's aphelion[13] | ||
2 | tech: maximum allowed carrier power output of a MURS radio | ||
4 | tech: the power consumption of an incandescent night light | ||
4 | tech: maximum allowed carrier power output of a 10-meter CB radio | ||
7 | tech: the power consumption of a typical Light-emitting diode (LED) light bulb | ||
8 | tech: human-powered equipment using a hand crank.[14] | ||
101 | deca- (daW) | 1.4 × 101 | tech: the power consumption of a typical household compact fluorescent light bulb |
2–4 × 101 | biomed: approximate power consumption of the human brain[15] | ||
3–4 × 101 | tech: the power consumption of a typical household fluorescent tube light | ||
6 × 101 | tech: the power consumption of a typical household incandescent light bulb | ||
102 | hecto- (hW) | 1 × 102 | biomed: approximate basal metabolic rate of an adult human body[16] |
1.2 × 102 | tech: electric power output of 1 m2 solar panel in full sunlight (approx. 12% efficiency), at sea level | ||
1.3 × 102 | tech: peak power consumption of a Pentium 4 CPU | ||
2 × 102 | tech: stationary bicycle average power output[17][18] | ||
2.76 × 102 | astro: fusion power output of 1 cubic meter of volume of the Sun's core.[19] | ||
2.9 × 102 | units: approximately 1000 BTU/hour | ||
3 × 102 | tech: PC GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 peak power consumption[20] | ||
4 × 102 | tech: legal limit of power output of an amateur radio station in the United Kingdom | ||
5 × 102 | biomed: power output (useful work plus heat) of a person working hard physically | ||
7.457 × 102 | units: 1 horsepower[21] | ||
7.5 × 102 | astro: approximately the amount of sunlight falling on a square metre of the Earth's surface at noon on a clear day in March for northern temperate latitudes | ||
9.09 × 102 | biomed: peak output power of a healthy human (non-athlete) during a 30-second cycle sprint at 30.1 degree Celsius.[22] |
103 | kilo- (kW) | 1–3 × 103 W | tech: heat output of a domestic electric kettle |
1.1 × 103 W | tech: power of a microwave oven | ||
1.366 × 103 W | astro: power per square meter received from the Sun at the Earth's orbit | ||
1.5 × 103 W | tech: legal limit of power output of an amateur radio station in the United States | ||
up to 2 × 103 W | biomed: approximate short-time power output of sprinting professional cyclists and weightlifters doing snatch lifts | ||
2.4 × 103 W | geo: average power consumption per person worldwide in 2008 (21,283 kWh/year) | ||
3.3–6.6 × 103 W | eco: average photosynthetic power output per square kilometer of ocean[23] | ||
3.6 × 103 W | tech: synchrotron radiation power lost per ring in the Large Hadron Collider at 7000 GeV[6] | ||
104 | 1–5 × 104 W | tech: nominal power of clear channel AM[24] | |
1.00 × 104 W | eco: average power consumption per person in the United States in 2008 (87,216 kWh/year) | ||
1.4 × 104 W | tech: average power consumption of an electric car on EPA's Highway test schedule[25][26] | ||
1.45 × 104 W | astro: power per square metre received from the Sun at Mercury's orbit at perihelion | ||
1.6–3.2 × 104 W | eco: average photosynthetic power output per square kilometer of land[23] | ||
3 × 104 W | tech: power generated by the four motors of GEN H-4 one-man helicopter | ||
4–20 × 104 W | tech: approximate range of peak power output of typical automobiles (50-250 hp) | ||
5–10 × 104 W | tech: highest allowed ERP for an FM band radio station in the United States[27] | ||
105 | 1.67 × 105 W | tech: power consumption of UNIVAC 1 computer | |
2.5–8 × 105 W | tech: approximate range of power output of 'supercars' (300 to 1000 hp) | ||
4.5 × 105 W | tech: approximate maximum power output of a large 18-wheeler truck engine (600 hp) | ||
106 | mega- (MW) | 1.3 × 106 W | tech: power output of P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft |
1.9 × 106 W | astro: power per square meter potentially received by Earth at the peak of the Sun's red giant phase | ||
2.0 × 106 W | tech: peak power output of GE's standard wind turbine | ||
2.4 × 106 W | tech: peak power output of a Princess Coronation class steam locomotive (approx 3.3K EDHP on test) (1937) | ||
2.5 × 106 W | biomed: peak power output of a blue whale[citation needed] | ||
3 × 106 W | tech: mechanical power output of a diesel locomotive | ||
4.4 × 106 W | tech: total mechanical power output of Titanic's coal-fueled steam engines[28] | ||
7 × 106 W | tech: mechanical power output of a Top Fuel dragster | ||
8 × 106 W | tech: peak power output of the MHI Vestas V164, the world's largest offshore wind turbine | ||
107 | 1 × 107 W | tech: highest ERP allowed for an UHF television station | |
1.03 × 107 W | geo: electrical power output of Togo | ||
1.22 × 107 W | tech: approx power available to a Eurostar 20-carriage train | ||
1.5 × 107 W | tech: electrical power consumption of Sunway TaihuLight, the most powerful supercomputer in China | ||
1.6 × 107 W | tech: rate at which a typical gasoline pump transfers chemical energy to a vehicle | ||
2.6 × 107 W | tech: peak power output of the reactor of a Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine | ||
7.5 × 107 W | tech: maximum power output of one GE90 jet engine as installed on the Boeing 777 | ||
108 | 1.04 × 108 W | tech: power producing capacity of the Niagara Power Plant, the first electrical power plant in history | |
1.4 × 108 W | tech: average power consumption of a Boeing 747 passenger aircraft | ||
1.9 × 108 W | tech: peak power output of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier | ||
5 × 108 W | tech: typical power output of a fossil fuel power station | ||
9 × 108 W | tech: electric power output of a CANDU nuclear reactor | ||
9.59 × 108 W | geo: average electrical power consumption of Zimbabwe in 1998 | ||
9.86 × 108 W | astro: approximate solar power received by the dwarf planet Sedna at its aphelion (937 AU) |
The productive capacity of electrical generators operated by utility companies is often measured in MW. Few things can sustain the transfer or consumption of energy on this scale; some of these events or entities include: lightning strikes, naval craft (such as aircraft carriers and submarines), engineering hardware, and some scientific research equipment (such as supercolliders and large lasers).
For reference, about 10,000 100-watt lightbulbs or 5,000 computer systems would be needed to draw 1 MW. Also, 1 MW is approximately 1360 horsepower. Modern high-power diesel-electric locomotives typically have a peak power of 3–5 MW, while a typical modern nuclear power plant produces on the order of 500–2000 MW peak output.
109 | giga- (GW) |
1.3 × 109 |
tech: electric power output of Manitoba Hydro Limestone hydroelectric generating station |
2.074 × 109 | tech: peak power generation of Hoover Dam | ||
2.1 × 109 | tech: peak power generation of Aswan Dam | ||
3.4 × 109 | tech: estimated power consumption of the Bitcoin network in 2017[29] | ||
4.116 × 109 | tech: installed capacity of Kendal Power Station, the world's largest coal-fired power plant. | ||
5.824 × 109 | tech: installed capacity of the Taichung Power Plant, the largest coal-fired power plant in Taiwan and fourth largest of its kind. It was the single most polluting power plant on Earth in 2009.[30][31] | ||
7.965 × 109 | tech: installed capacity of the largest nuclear power plant, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, before it was permanently shut down in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. | ||
1010 | 1.17 × 1010 | tech: power produced by the Space Shuttle in liftoff configuration (9.875 GW from the SRBs; 1.9875 GW from the SSMEs.)[32] | |
1.26 × 1010 | tech: electrical power generation of the Itaipu Dam | ||
1.27 × 1010 | geo: average electrical power consumption of Norway in 1998 | ||
2.25 × 1010 | tech: peak electrical power generation of the Three Gorges Dam, the power plant with the world's largest generating capacity of any type.[33] | ||
2.24 × 1010 | tech: peak power of all German solar panels (at noon on a cloudless day), researched by the Fraunhofer ISE research institute in 2014[34] | ||
5.027 × 1010 | tech: peak electrical power consumption of California Independent System Operator users between 1998 and 2018, recorded at 14:44 Pacific Time, July 24, 2006.[35] | ||
5.22 × 1010 | tech: China total nuclear power capacity as of 2022.[36] | ||
5.5 × 1010 | tech: peak daily electrical power consumption of Great Britain in November 2008.[37] | ||
7.31 × 1010 | tech: total installed power capacity of Turkey on December 31, 2015.[38] | ||
9.55 × 1010 | tech: United States total nuclear power capacity as of 2022.[36] | ||
1011 | 1.016 × 1011 | tech: peak electrical power consumption of France (February 8, 2012 at 7:00 pm) | |
1.12 × 1011 | tech: United States total installed solar capacity as of 2022.[39] | ||
1.41 × 1011 | tech: United States total wind turbine capacity in 2022.[39] | ||
1.66 × 1011 | tech: average power consumption of the first stage of the Saturn V rocket.[40][41] | ||
3.66 × 1011 | tech: China total wind turbine capacity in 2022.[39] | ||
3.92 × 1011 | tech: China total installed solar capacity as of 2022.[39] | ||
7 × 1011 | biomed: humankind basal metabolic rate as of 2013 (7 billion people). | ||
8.99 × 1011 | tech: worldwide wind turbine capacity at end of 2022.[39] | ||
1012 | tera- (TW) | 1.062 × 1012 | tech: worldwide installed solar capacity at end of 2022.[39] |
2 × 1012 | astro: approximate power generated between the surfaces of Jupiter and its moon Io due to Jupiter's tremendous magnetic field.[42] | ||
3.34 × 1012 | geo: average total (gas, electricity, etc.) power consumption of the US in 2005[43] | ||
1013 | 2.04 × 1013 | tech: average rate of power consumption of humanity over 2022.[44] | |
4.7 × 1013 | geo: average total heat flow at Earth's surface which originates from its interior.[45] Main sources are roughly equal amounts of radioactive decay and residual heat from Earth's formation.[46] | ||
8.8 × 1013 | astro: luminosity per square meter of the hottest normal star known, WR 102 | ||
5–20 × 1013 | weather: rate of heat energy release by a hurricane[citation needed] | ||
1014 | 1.4 × 1014 | eco: global net primary production (= biomass production) via photosynthesis[47] | |
2.9 × 1014 | tech: the power the Z machine reaches in 1 billionth of a second when it is fired[citation needed] | ||
3 × 1014 | weather: Hurricane Katrina's rate of release of latent heat energy into the air.[48] | ||
3 × 1014 | tech: power reached by the extremely high-power Hercules laser from the University of Michigan.[citation needed] | ||
4.6 × 1014 | geo: estimated rate of net global heating, evaluated as Earth's energy imbalance, from 2005 to 2019.[49][50] The rate of ocean heat uptake approximately doubled over this period.[51] |
1015 | peta- | ~2 × 1.00 × 1015 W | tech: Omega EP laser power at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. There are two separate beams that are combined. |
1.4 × 1015 W | geo: estimated heat flux transported by the Gulf Stream. | ||
5 × 1015 W | geo: estimated net heat flux transported from Earth's equator and towards each pole. Value is a latitudinal maximum arising near 40° in each hemisphere.[52][53] | ||
7 × 1015 W | tech: the world's most powerful laser in operation (claimed on February 7, 2019, by Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) at Magurele, Romania)[54] | ||
1016 | 1.03 × 1016 W | tech: world's most powerful laser pulses (claimed on October 24, 2017, by SULF of Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics).[55] | |
1–10 × 1016 W | tech: estimated total power output of a Type-I civilization on the Kardashev scale.[56] | ||
1017 | 1.73 × 1017 W | astro: total power received by Earth from the Sun[57] | |
2 × 1017 W | tech: planned peak power of Extreme Light Infrastructure laser[58] | ||
4.6 × 1017 W | astro: total internal heat flux of Jupiter[59] | ||
1018 | exa- (EW) | In a keynote presentation, NIF & Photon Science Chief Technology Officer Chris Barty described the "Nexawatt" Laser, an exawatt (1,000-petawatt) laser concept based on NIF technologies, on April 13 at the SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics 2015 Conference in Prague. Barty also gave an invited talk on "Laser-Based Nuclear Photonics" at the SPIE meeting.[60] | |
1021 | zetta- (ZW) | ||
1022 | 5.31 × 1022 W | astro: approximate luminosity of 2MASS J0523−1403, the least luminous star known.[61] | |
1023 | 4.08 × 1023 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Wolf 359 | |
1024 | yotta- (YW) | 5.3 × 1024 W | tech: estimated peak power of the Tsar Bomba hydrogen bomb detonation[62] |
9.8 × 1024 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Sirius B, Sirius's white dwarf companion.[63][64] | ||
1026 | 1 × 1026 W | tech: power generating capacity of a Type-II civilization on the Kardashev scale.[56] | |
1.87 × 1026 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Tau Ceti, the nearest solitary G-type star. | ||
3.828 × 1026 W | astro: luminosity of the Sun,[65] our home star | ||
7.67 × 1026 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Alpha Centauri, the closest (triple) star system.[66] | ||
1027 | ronna- (RW) | 9.77 × 1027 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Sirius, the visibly brightest star as viewed from Earth.[67] |
1028 | 6.51 × 1028 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Arcturus, a solar-mass red giant[68] |
1030 | quetta- (QW) | 1.99 × 1030 W | astro: peak luminosity of the Sun in its thermally-pulsing, late AGB phase (≈5200x present)[69] |
4.1 × 1030 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Canopus[70] | ||
1031 | 2.53 × 1031 W | astro: approximate luminosity of the Beta Centauri triple star system[71] | |
3.3 × 1031 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Betelgeuse, a highly-evolved red supergiant | ||
1032 | 1.23 × 1032 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Deneb | |
1033 | 1.26 × 1033 W | astro: approximate luminosity of the Pistol Star, an LBV which emits in 10 seconds the Sun's annual energy output | |
1.79 × 1033 W | astro: approximate luminosity of R136a1,[72] a massive Wolf-Rayet star and the most luminous single star known | ||
2.1 × 1033 W | astro: approximate luminosity of the Eta Carinae system,[73] a highly elliptical binary of two supergiant blue stars orbiting each other | ||
1034 | 4 × 1034 W | tech: approximate power used by a type III civilization in the Kardashev scale.[56] | |
1036 | 5.7 × 1036 W | astro: approximate luminosity of the Milky Way galaxy[74][75] | |
1037 | 2 × 1037 W | astro: approximate luminosity of the Local Group, the volume enclosed by our gravitational cosmic horizon[76][77] | |
4 × 1037 W | astro: approximate internal luminosity of the Sun for a few seconds as it undergoes a helium flash.[78][79] | ||
1038 | 2.2 × 1038 W | astro: approximate luminosity of the extremely luminous supernova ASASSN-15lh[80][81] | |
1039 | 1 × 1039 W | astro: average luminosity of a quasar | |
1.57 × 1039 W | astro: approximate luminosity of 3C273, the brightest quasar seen from Earth[82] | ||
1040 | 5 × 1040 W | astro: approximate peak luminosity of the energetic fast blue optical transient CSS161010[83] | |
1041 | 1 × 1041 W | astro: approximate luminosity of the most luminous quasars in our universe, e.g., APM 08279+5255 and HS 1946+7658.[84] | |
1042 | 1.7 × 1042 W | astro: approximate luminosity of the Laniakea Supercluster[85][86] | |
3 × 1042 W | astro: approximate luminosity of an average gamma-ray burst[87] | ||
1043 | 2.2 × 1043 W | astro: average stellar luminosity in one cubic gigalight-year of space | |
1045 | |||
1046 | 1 × 1046 W | astro: record for maximum beaming-corrected intrinsic luminosity ever achieved by a gamma-ray burst[88] | |
1047 | 7.519 × 1047 W | phys: Hawking radiation luminosity of a Planck mass black hole[89] | |
1048 | 9.5 × 1048 W | astro: luminosity of the entire Observable universe[90] ≈ 24.6 billion trillion solar luminosity. | |
1049 | 3.6 × 1049 W | astro: peak gravitational wave radiative power of GW150914, the merger event of two distant stellar-mass black holes. It is attributed to the first observation of gravitational waves.[91] | |
1052 | 3.63 × 1052 W | phys: the unit of power as expressed under the Planck units,[note 1] at which the definition of power under modern conceptualizations of physics breaks down. Equivalent to one Planck mass-energy per Planck time. |