Watts are the standard unit of power, and a gigawatt is a much larger unit, equivalent to one billion watts. As solar energy systems absorb solar radiation through photovoltaic (PV) panels, they generate watts of electrical power. . Although you may not have remembered the date, you've probably heard of Doc's DeLorean, which takes 1. 21 gigawatts (GW) of power to travel through time. To help put this number in perspective, it's important to know just how big 1 GW is. This raises an important question: What is a gigawatt, exactly? As we see an increasing shift toward solar and other renewable energy sources, understanding how this power is measured, generated and harnessed will be important.
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