This page lists examples of the power in watts produced by various sources of energy. They are grouped by orders of magnitude from small to large.
Below 1 W
Factor (watts) SI prefix Value (watts)Value (decibel-milliwatts) Item10−505.4 × 10−50−463 dBmastro: Hawking radiation power of the ultramassive black hole TON 618.Calculated using M_BH = 4.07e+10 M_sol. 10−27 ronto- (rW) 1.64−238 dBm phys: approximate power of gravitational radiation emitted by a 1000 kg satellite in geosynchronous orbit around the Earth. 10−24 yocto- (yW)1−210 dBm 10−21 1−180 dBmbiomed: approximate lowest recorded power consumption of a deep-subsurface marine microbe10−201−170 dBmtech: approximate power of Galileo space probe's radio signal (when at Jupiter) as received on earth by a 70-meter DSN antenna.10−18 atto- (aW)1−150 dBmphys: approximate power scale at which operation of nanoelectromechanical systems are overwhelmed by thermal fluctuations.10−161−130 dBmtech: the GPS signal strength measured at the surface of the Earth. (This article was originally published as Los Alamos research paper LAUR-03-6163)10−162−127 dBmbiomed: approximate theoretical minimum luminosity detectable by the human eye under perfect conditions10−15femto- (fW)2.5−116 dBmtech: minimum discernible signal at the antenna terminal of a good FM radio receiver10−141−110 dBmtech: approximate lower limit of power reception on digital spread-spectrum cell phones10−12pico- (pW)1−90 dBmbiomed: average power consumption of a human cell10−111.84−77 dBmphys: power lost in the form of synchrotron radiation by a proton revolving in the Large Hadron Collider at 7000 GeVCERN. Beam Parameters and Definitions". Table 2.2. Retrieved September 13, 20082.9−72 dBmastro: power per square meter received from Proxima Centauri, the closest star known10−101−68 dBmastro: estimated total Hawking radiation power of all black holes in the observable universe.10 M_sol BH Hawking radiation power: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=hawking+radiation+calculate&assumption=%7B%22FS%22%7D+-%3E+%7B%7B%22BlackHoleHawkingRadiationPower%22%2C+%22P%22%7D%2C+%7B%22BlackHoleHawkingRadiationPower%22%2C+%22M%22%7D%7D&assumption=%7B%22F%22%2C+%22BlackHoleHawkingRadiationPower%22%2C+%22M%22%7D+-%3E%2210*solar+mass%22Fermi estimate: Mass of observable universe / mass of Milky Way ≈ 1e+12. Number of stars in the Milky Way ≈ 1e+11. Proportion of stars that evolve into a black hole ≈ 1e-3. Hawking radiation power of a 10 Solar mass black hole: ≈ 1e-30 W. 12 + 11 - 3 - 30 = 23 - 30 = –10.1.5−68 dBmbiomed: power entering a human eye from a 100-watt lamp 1 km away10−9nano- (nW)2–15−57 dBm to −48 dBmtech: power consumption of 8-bit PIC microcontroller chips when in "sleep" mode10−6micro- (μW)1−30 dBmtech: approximate consumption of a quartz or mechanical wristwatch3−25 dBmastro: cosmic microwave background radiation per square meter10−55−13 dBmbiomed: sound power incident on a human eardrum at the threshold intensity for pain (500 mW/m2).10−3milli- (mW)1.55−4.7 dBmastro: power per square meter received from the Sun by Sedna at its aphelion57 dBmtech: laser in a CD-ROM drive5–107 dBm to 10 dBmtech: laser in a DVD player10−2centi- (cW)718 dBmtech: antenna power in a typical consumer wireless router10−1deci- (dW)1.221 dBmastro: total proton decay power of Earth, assuming the half life of protons to take on the value 1035 years.Calculated: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=earth+mass%2Fproton+mass*ln2%2F%281e35+year%29*proton+mass*c%5E2527 dBmtech: maximum allowed carrier output power of an FRS radio
1 to 102 W
Factor (watts) SI prefix Value (watts) Item100W1tech: cellphone camera light1.508astro: power per square metre received from the Sun at Neptune's aphelion2tech: maximum allowed carrier power output of a MURS radio4tech: the power consumption of an incandescent night light4tech: maximum allowed carrier power output of a 10-meter CB radio7tech: the power consumption of a typical Light-emitting diode (LED) light bulb8tech: human-powered equipment using a hand crank.dtic.mil – harvesting energy with hand-crank generators to support dismounted soldier missions, 2004-12-xx101deca- (daW)1.4 × 101tech: the power consumption of a typical household compact fluorescent light bulb2–4 × 101biomed: approximate power consumption of the human brain3–4 × 101tech: the power consumption of a typical household fluorescent tube light6 × 101tech: the power consumption of a typical household incandescent light bulb102hecto- (hW)1 × 102biomed: approximate basal metabolic rate of an adult human body1.2 × 102tech: electric power output of solar panel in full sunlight (approx. 12% efficiency), at sea level1.3 × 102tech: peak power consumption of a Pentium 4 CPU2 × 102tech: stationary bicycle average power outputalternative-energy-news.info – The Pedal-A-Watt Stationary Bicycle Generator, January 11, 2010econvergence.net – The Pedal-A-Watt Bicycle Generator Stand Buy one or build with detailed plans., 20122.76 × 102astro: fusion power output of 1 cubic meter of volume of the Sun's core.2.9 × 102units: approximately 1000 BTU/hour3 × 102tech: PC GPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 peak power consumption4 × 102tech: legal limit of power output of an amateur radio station in the United Kingdom5 × 102biomed: power output (useful work plus heat) of a person working hard physicallyunits: 1 horsepower7.5 × 102astro: approximately the amount of sunlight falling on a square metre of the Earth's surface at noon on a clear day in March for northern temperate latitudes9.09 × 102biomed: peak output power of a healthy human (non-athlete) during a 30-second cycle sprint at 30.1 degree Celsius.
103 to 108 W 103kilo- (kW)1–3 × 103 Wtech: heat output of a domestic electric kettle1.1 × 103 Wtech: power of a microwave oven1.366 × 103 Wastro: power per square meter received from the Sun at the Earth's orbit1.5 × 103 Wtech: legal limit of power output of an amateur radio station in the United Statesup to 2 × 103 Wbiomed: approximate short-time power output of sprinting professional cyclists and weightlifters doing snatch lifts2.4 × 103 Wgeo: average power consumption per person worldwide in 2008 (21,283 kWh/year)3.3–6.6 × 103 Weco: average photosynthetic power output per square kilometer of ocean3.6 × 103 Wtech: synchrotron radiation power lost per ring in the Large Hadron Collider at 7000 GeV1041–5 × 104 Wtech: nominal power of clear channel AM1.00 × 104 Weco: average power consumption per person in the United States in 2008 (87,216 kWh/year)1.4 × 104 Wtech: average power consumption of an electric car on EPA's Highway test schedule1.45 × 104 Wastro: power per square metre received from the Sun at Mercury's orbit at perihelion1.6–3.2 × 104 Weco: average photosynthetic power output per square kilometer of land3 × 104 Wtech: power generated by the four motors of GEN H-4 one-man helicopter4–20 × 104 Wtech: approximate range of peak power output of typical automobiles (50-250 hp)5–10 × 104 Wtech: highest allowed ERP for an FM band radio station in the United States1051.67 × 105 Wtech: power consumption of UNIVAC 1 computer2.5–8 × 105 Wtech: approximate range of power output of 'supercars' (300 to 1000 hp)4.5 × 105 Wtech: approximate maximum power output of a large 18-wheeler truck engine (600 hp)106mega- (MW)1.03 × 106 Wtech: approximate maximum power output of BMW M12/13/1 Formula One engine in qualifying trim (1400 hp)1.3 × 106 Wtech: power output of P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft1.9 × 106 Wastro: power per square meter potentially received by Earth at the peak of the Sun's red giant phase2.0 × 106 Wtech: peak power output of GE's standard wind turbine2.4 × 106 Wtech: peak power output of a Princess Coronation class steam locomotive (approx 3.3K EDHP on test) (1937)2.5 × 106 Wbiomed: peak power output of a blue whale3 × 106 Wtech: mechanical power output of a diesel locomotive4.4 × 106 Wtech: total mechanical power output of Titanic's coal-fueled steam engines7 × 106 Wtech: mechanical power output of a Top Fuel dragster8 × 106 Wtech: peak power output of the MHI Vestas V164, the world's largest offshore wind turbine1071 × 107 Wtech: highest ERP allowed for an UHF television station1.03 × 107 Wgeo: electrical power output of Togo1.22 × 107 Wtech: approx power available to a Eurostar 20-carriage train1.5 × 107 Wtech: electrical power consumption of Sunway TaihuLight, the most powerful supercomputer in China1.6 × 107 Wtech: rate at which a typical gasoline pump transfers chemical energy to a vehicle2.6 × 107 Wtech: peak power output of the reactor of a Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine7.5 × 107 Wtech: maximum power output of one GE90 jet engine as installed on the Boeing 7771081.4 × 108 Wtech: average power consumption of a Boeing 747 passenger aircraft1.9 × 108 Wtech: peak power output of a 5 × 108 Wtech: typical power output of a fossil fuel power station9 × 108 Wtech: electric power output of a CANDU nuclear reactor9.59 × 108 Wgeo: average electrical power consumption of Zimbabwe in 19989.86 × 108 Wastro: approximate solar power received by the dwarf planet Sedna at its aphelion (937 AU)
The productive capacity of electrical generators operated by utility companies is often measured in MW. Few things can sustain the transfer or consumption of energy on this scale; some of these events or entities include: lightning strikes, naval craft (such as aircraft carriers and submarines), engineering hardware, and some scientific research equipment (such as supercolliders and large lasers).
For reference, about 10,000 100-watt lightbulbs or 5,000 computer systems would be needed to draw 1 MW. Also, 1 MW is approximately 1360 horsepower. Modern high-power diesel-electric locomotives typically have a peak power of 3–5 MW, while a typical modern nuclear power plant produces on the order of 500–2000 MW peak output.
109 to 1014 W