gigawatt

noun

giga·​watt ˈji-gə-ˌwät How to pronounce gigawatt (audio) ˈgi- How to pronounce gigawatt (audio)
: a unit of power equal to one billion watts

Examples of gigawatt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To bridge this gap, the western states would need to add up to 13 gigawatts of transmission capacity and up to 139 gigawatts of generating capacity between 2030 and 2050 — equivalent to almost three times California’s peak demand and costing about $150 billion, per the research. Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 25 Nov. 2024 The company said the facility will offer tech companies about one gigawatt of capacity to run their power-hungry hardware. Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024 The United States will aim to add 200 gigawatts of new nuclear energy capacity, according to the administration’s new strategy. Jonathan Mattise, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024 Massachusetts, for example, calls for at least 27 gigawatts of solar power to meet its goal of going carbon-neutral by 2050, which would require increasing solar power by more than 400% from the state’s current capacity. Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gigawatt 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gigawatt was circa 1962

Dictionary Entries Near gigawatt

Cite this Entry

“Gigawatt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gigawatt. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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