Unit converter
Power and time to energy
Power is a rate, energy is power held for a time. kWh equals kW times hours. Prefixes are exact powers of 1000. Apparent power in kVA converts to kW only through the power factor.
kW to MW conversion table
| Kilowatts | Megawatts | Gigawatts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kW | 0.001 MW | 0 GW |
| 10 kW | 0.01 MW | 0 GW |
| 50 kW | 0.05 MW | 0 GW |
| 100 kW | 0.1 MW | 0 GW |
| 250 kW | 0.25 MW | 0 GW |
| 500 kW | 0.5 MW | 0.001 GW |
| 750 kW | 0.75 MW | 0.001 GW |
| 1,000 kW | 1 MW | 0.001 GW |
| 1,500 kW | 1.5 MW | 0.002 GW |
| 2,000 kW | 2 MW | 0.002 GW |
| 2,500 kW | 2.5 MW | 0.003 GW |
| 5,000 kW | 5 MW | 0.005 GW |
| 10,000 kW | 10 MW | 0.01 GW |
| 50,000 kW | 50 MW | 0.05 GW |
| 100,000 kW | 100 MW | 0.1 GW |
Free to cite with a link to this page. Every value is the kilowatt figure divided by 1,000 for megawatts and by 1,000,000 for gigawatts. The same table reads for kWh, MWh and GWh.
kW versus kWh in plain words
Think of a car. Kilowatts are the speedometer and kilowatt hours are the odometer. A load that draws 500 kW for 2 hours has used 1,000 kWh, and the same load for 30 minutes has used 250 kWh. Utility bills for commercial customers show both. Demand is the highest kW in a billing interval, and energy is the kWh over the month.
- Energy in kWh equals power in kW times hours.
- Hours of run time equal energy in kWh divided by power in kW.
- MW and MWh follow the same math, one thousand times larger.
Worked example for a battery. A storage system with a 2 MW inverter and 8 MWh of usable energy delivers 8 / 2 = 4 hours at full power, or 8 hours at 1 MW. The power rating sets how fast it can charge or discharge and the energy rating sets how long.
kVA to MVA and the transformer rating
Transformers are rated in kVA up to a few thousand and in MVA above that. The conversion is the same divide by 1,000. A transformer rating is apparent power, so the real power it can carry is the rating times the load power factor. The table shows common ratings in MVA and the real power at 0.9 and 1.0 power factor. The MVA transformers guide covers the larger sizes and the kVA to kW calculator covers the power factor.
| Rating, kVA | Rating, MVA | kW at 0.9 PF | kW at 1.0 PF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | 0.075 | 67.5 | 75 |
| 150 | 0.15 | 135 | 150 |
| 300 | 0.3 | 270 | 300 |
| 500 | 0.5 | 450 | 500 |
| 750 | 0.75 | 675 | 750 |
| 1,000 | 1 | 900 | 1,000 |
| 1,500 | 1.5 | 1,350 | 1,500 |
| 2,000 | 2 | 1,800 | 2,000 |
| 2,500 | 2.5 | 2,250 | 2,500 |
| 3,750 | 3.75 | 3,375 | 3,750 |
| 5,000 | 5 | 4,500 | 5,000 |
| 7,500 | 7.5 | 6,750 | 7,500 |
| 10,000 | 10 | 9,000 | 10,000 |
| 20,000 | 20 | 18,000 | 20,000 |
| 30,000 | 30 | 27,000 | 30,000 |
| 50,000 | 50 | 45,000 | 50,000 |
Free to cite with a link to this page. The rows are common ratings. MVA is kVA divided by 1,000 and kW is kVA times the power factor in the heading. Solar inverters and many generators are quoted in kW or MW of real power, while the transformer beside them is quoted in kVA or MVA, so check which one a number means before sizing equipment. See the substation transformer and power transformer pages for the larger units, the substation transformers page for plant and utility sizes, and the guides to buying used transformers and buying used switchgear when a project needs equipment sooner.
Where each unit shows up
- kW and MW rate generators, solar arrays, battery inverters, motors and data center load. See the data center megawatts guide and the 1 MW generator page.
- kWh and MWh measure what a battery stores, what a meter records and what a plant produces over time.
- kVA and MVA rate transformers, switchgear and the apparent load on a service. The kVA to amps calculator gives the current for any rating.
- Amps follow from kVA and voltage, and the kW to amps calculator handles real power directly.
Common questions
How do you convert kW to MW
Divide by 1,000. 1,500 kW is 1.5 MW. To go from MW to kW, multiply by 1,000, so 2.5 MW is 2,500 kW.
How do you convert kWh to MWh
Divide by 1,000. 8,000 kWh is 8 MWh. To go from MWh to kWh, multiply by 1,000. A gigawatt hour is 1,000 MWh or 1,000,000 kWh.
What is the difference between kW and kWh
A kilowatt is a rate, how fast energy is being used or delivered at one moment. A kilowatt hour is an amount of energy, one kilowatt held for one hour. A 2,000 kW load running for 4 hours uses 8,000 kWh.
What is the difference between MW and MWh
MW is the power rating of a generator, battery inverter, transformer load or data center. MWh is the energy over time, such as what a battery stores or a plant delivers in a day. A battery rated 2 MW and 8 MWh can deliver full power for 4 hours.
How do you convert kVA to MVA
Divide by 1,000, the same as kW to MW. A 5,000 kVA transformer is 5 MVA. Transformers are rated in kVA or MVA because the winding and core are limited by current and voltage, not by the power factor of the load.
How do you convert kVA to kW
Multiply kVA by the power factor. 1,000 kVA at 0.9 power factor is 900 kW. The converter above does this when you pick kVA on one side and kW or MW on the other.
Sizing a transformer for a solar farm, battery or plant, use the transformer sizing calculator, or request a quote with the kVA and voltage.
Sources
- The prefixes kilo, mega and giga are the SI factors of 1,000, 1,000,000 and 1,000,000,000. Every figure on this page is computed from them.
- Real power equals apparent power times power factor, the standard AC power relationship.
- The battery example is an illustration with round numbers, not a product rating.