BTU/hour to Gigawatts Converter
Enter a value to instantly convert between power units.
1 BTU/hour = 2.9307e-10 Gigawatt
Key Formulas
Kilowatt → Horsepower (mech)
hp = kW × 1.34102Horsepower (mech) → Kilowatt
kW = hp × 0.7457Watt → Kilowatt
kW = W × 0.001Kilowatt → Watt
W = kW × 1000Formula
GW = BTU/h × 0.000000000293071National energy statisticians track fuel consumption and heat generation in quadrillions of BTU (quads) per year, while grid capacity is tracked in gigawatts. Converting large BTU/h figures to GW allows direct comparison of a nation's thermal power fleet to its electrical capacity. A large coal plant consuming 10 billion BTU/h = 2.93 GW of thermal input, producing roughly 1 GW of electricity at 34% efficiency.
Source: NIST SP 811, Table B.8
Last reviewed: · see our methodology
Frequently Asked Questions
Real-World Examples
3.412 billion BTU/h = 1 GW of thermal power — a typical large coal or gas power plant thermal input.
3412000000 BTU/h = 1 GW
A 10 billion BTU/h natural gas combined-cycle plant = 2.93 GW thermal input, producing about 1.8 GW of electricity.
10000000000 BTU/h = 2.93 GW
A 1 billion BTU/h (1 MMBtu) district energy facility = 293 MW — serving a major city district heat network.
1000000000 BTU/h = 0.293 GW
A 500 million BTU/h refinery process heater complex = 147 MW of thermal input.
500000000 BTU/h = 0.147 GW