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Petawatt (PW)

The petawatt (symbol: PW) is a unit of power in the International System of Units (SI) representing $10^{15}$ watts:

A petawatt is an extremely large power measurement, commonly used in fields like high-energy physics and laser technology. For example, some of the world’s most powerful lasers operate at petawatt power levels, delivering intense bursts of energy in very short time frames.

To give some context, the average power consumption of the entire world is measured in terawatts (TW, $10^{12}$ W), so a petawatt is 1,000 times greater than a terawatt.

Because of its massive scale, the petawatt unit is mostly applied in scientific research and advanced technology, rather than everyday electrical or mechanical systems.

Megawatt (MW)

The megawatt (symbol: MW) is a unit of power in the International System of Units (SI) equal to $10^{6}$ watts:

Megawatts are commonly used to express the power output of medium to large-sized power plants, such as wind farms, solar plants, and small hydroelectric stations. For example, a typical wind turbine might produce around 2 to 3 MW of power.

In practical terms, 1 megawatt can supply electricity to roughly 1,000 average homes.

The megawatt is a convenient scale for measuring electrical generation and consumption on a regional or city level, bridging the gap between smaller household power use (kilowatts) and larger industrial or national-scale power (gigawatts).