Orders of magnitude (power)

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Below 1 Watt

yoctowatt (10^-24 watt)

zeptowatt (10^-21 watt)

• ~10 zW - tech: approximate power of Galileo space probe's radio signal (when at Jupiter
  Jupiter
  
  Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the Solar system by size planet within the Solar System. It is two and a half times as massive as all of the other planets in our Solar System combined....
  ) as received on earth by a 70-meter DSN
  Deep Space Network
  
  The Deep Space Network, or DSN, is an international Wiktionary:network of communication facilities that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions, and radio astronomy and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe....
   antenna.

attowatt (10^-18 watt)

• 1 aW - phys: approximate power scale at which operation of nanoelectromechanical systems
  Nanoelectromechanical systems
  
  Nanoelectromechanical systems or NEMS are similar to Microelectromechanical systems but smaller. They hold promise to improve abilities to measure small displacements and forces at a molecular scale, and are related to nanotechnology and nanomechanics....
   are overwhelmed by thermal fluctuations.

femtowatt (10^-15 watt)

• 2.5 fW - tech: minimum discernible signal at the antenna terminal of a good FM radio receiver
• 10 fW (-110 dBm) - tech: approximate lower limit of power reception on digital spread-spectrum cell phones

picowatt (10^-12 watt)

• 1 pW - biomed: average power consumption of a human cell
  Cell (biology)
  
  The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known Life organisms. It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living, and is often called the building bricks of life....
  
• 18.4 pW - tech: (1.84 x 10^-11 watt) power lost by a proton in the Large Hadron Collider
  Large Hadron Collider
  
  The Large Hadron Collider is the List of accelerators in particle physics#Hadron colliders particle accelerator, intended to Collider opposing Charged particle beam, of either protons at an energy of 7 TeV/particle, or lead nuclei at an energy of 574 TeV/nucleus....
   at 7000 GeV
• 150 pW - biomed: power entering a human eye from a 100-watt lamp 1 km away

nanowatt (10^-9 watt)

• 2-15 nW - tech: power consumption of 8-bit PIC microcontroller
  PIC microcontroller
  
  PIC is a family of Harvard architecture microcontrollers made by Microchip Technology, derived from the PIC1640 originally developed by General Instrument's Microelectronics Division....
   chips when in "sleep" mode

microwatt (10^-6 watt)

• 1 µW - tech: approximate consumption of a quartz
  Quartz
  
  Quartz is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust . It is made up of a Crystal structure of silica tetrahedra. Quartz has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale and a density of 2.65 g/cm?....
   wristwatch
• 3 µW - astro: cosmic microwave background radiation
  Cosmic microwave background radiation
  
  In physical cosmology, the cosmic microwave background radiation CMB is a form of electromagnetic radiation filling the universe. With a traditional optical telescope, the space between stars and galaxies is pitch black....
   per square meter

milliwatt (10^-3 watt)

• 5 mW - tech: laser in a CD-ROM
  CD-ROM
  
  CD-ROM is a pre-pressed Compact Disc that contains Computer data storage accessible to, but not writable by, a computer. While the Compact Disc format was originally designed for music storage and playback, the 1985 Yellow Book standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of Binary file....
   drive
• 5-10 mW - tech: laser in a DVD player
  DVD player
  
  A DVD player is a device that plays discs produced under both the DVD Video and DVD Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards....
  
• 100 mW - tech: laser in a CD-R
  CD-R
  
  A CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
   drive

Between 1 and 1000 Watts

watt

• 4 W - tech: the power consumption of an incandescent night light
• 5 W - legal: maximum power output of a CB
  Citizens' band radio
  
  Citizens' Band radio is, in many countries, a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27-Hertz band....
   or hand-held radio transceiver
• 14 W - tech: the power consumption of a typical household compact fluorescent light bulb
• 20-40 W - biomed: approximate power consumption of the human brain
• 30-40 W - tech: the power consumption of a typical household fluorescent tube light
• 60 W - tech: the power consumption of a typical household incandescent light bulb
  Incandescent light bulb
  
  The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is a source of electric light that works by incandescence, ....
  
• 100 W - biomed: approximate basal metabolic rate used by the human
  Human
  
  A human being, also human or man, is a member of a species of bipedalism primates in the family Hominidae . Mitochondrial DNA evidence indicates that modern humans originated in east Africa about 200,000 years ago....
   body
• 120 W - tech: power output of 1 m² solar panel
  Photovoltaic module
  
  In the field of photovoltaics, a photovoltaic module or photovoltaic panel is a packaged interconnected assembly of photovoltaic cells, also known as solar cells....
   in full sunlight
  Solar power
  
  Solar energy is the radiant light and heat from the Sun that has been harnessed by humans since ancient history using a range of ever-evolving technologies....
   (approx. 12% efficiency)
• 130 W - tech: peak power consumption of a Pentium 4
  Pentium 4
  
  The Pentium 4 brand refers to Intel's line of single-core mainstream Desktop computer and laptop central processing units introduced on November 20, 2000 ....
   CPU
• 253 W (2,215 kWh/year
  Watt-hour
  
  The kilowatt hour, also written kilowatt-hour, is a unit of energy.Energy delivered by electric utilities is usually expressed and charged for in kWh....
  ) - geo: per capita average power use of the world in 2001
• 290 W - units: approximately 1000 BTU/hour
• 300-400 W - tech: typical PC
  Personal computer
  
  A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator....
   power supply
  Power supply
  
  Power supply is a reference to a source of electrical power. A device or system that supplies electrical or other types of energy to an output External electric load or group of loads is called a power supply unit or PSU....
   maximum output
• 400 W - tech: legal limit of power output of an amateur radio
  Amateur radio
  
  Amateur radio, often called Etymology of ham radio, is both a hobby and a service in which participants, called "hams," use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for Public services, recreation and self-training....
   station in the United Kingdom
  United Kingdom
  
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
  
• 500 W - biomed: power output of a person working hard physically
• 745.7 W - units: 1 horsepower
  Horsepower
  
  Horsepower is the name of several non-International System of Units units of power . It was originally defined to allow the output of steam engines to be measured and compared with the power output of draft horses....
  
• 750 W - astro: the amount of sunshine
  Sunlight
  
  Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total spectroscopy of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is Filter ed through the Earth's atmosphere, and the solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon....
   falling on a square metre of the Earth's surface on a clear day
• 909 W - biomed: peak output power of a healthy human (nonathlete) during a 30-second cycle sprint at 30.1 degree Celsius.

Above 1000 Watts

kilowatt (10³ watts)

• 1.366 kW - astro: power received from the sun
  Sun
  
  The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
   at the earth
  Earth
  
  Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
  's orbit by one square metre
  1 E0 m²
  
  Image:Scale one to hundred.svg|110px|right|Click on the small dark green top-left square for quantities smaller than 1, the mid green square for 1 to 10 units, the light green square for 10 to 100 units, and the pale green surround for over 100 units...
  
• 1.39 kW (12.2 MWh/year) - geo: per capita average power use in the U.S.
  United States
  
  The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
   in 2003
• 1.5 kW - tech: legal limit of power output of an amateur radio
  Amateur radio
  
  Amateur radio, often called Etymology of ham radio, is both a hobby and a service in which participants, called "hams," use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for Public services, recreation and self-training....
   station in the United States
  United States
  
  The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
  
• up to 2 kW - biomed: approximate short-time power output of sprinting professional cyclists
• 1 kW to 2 kW - tech: heat output of a domestic electric kettle
  Kettle
  
  A kettle, sometimes called teakettle, tea kettle or the pot, is a small kitchen appliance used for boiling water in preparation for making tea or other beverages requiring hot water....
  .
• 3.6 kW - tech:: Synchrotron radiation
  Synchrotron radiation
  
  Synchrotron radiation is electromagnetic radiation, similar to cyclotron radiation, but generated by the acceleration of Ultrarelativistic limit charged particles through magnetic fields....
   power lost per ring in the Large Hadron Collider
  Large Hadron Collider
  
  The Large Hadron Collider is the List of accelerators in particle physics#Hadron colliders particle accelerator, intended to Collider opposing Charged particle beam, of either protons at an energy of 7 TeV/particle, or lead nuclei at an energy of 574 TeV/nucleus....
   at 7000 GeV
• 3.3-6.6 kW - eco: average photosynthetic power output per square kilometer of ocean
  Ocean
  
  An ocean is a major body of Seawater, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a World Ocean that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas....
   
• 30 kW - power generated by the four motors of GEN H-4 one-man helicopter
• 16-32 kW - eco: average photosynthetic power output per square kilometer of land
  Landform
  
  In the earth sciences and geology sub-fields a landform or physical feature comprises a geomorphology unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography....
   
• 10 kW to 50 kW - tech: nominal power
  Nominal power
  
  Nominal power is a measurement of a mediumwave radio station's output used in the United States. AM Broadcastingers are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to operate at a specific Real versus nominal value power , which may be different from the transmitter power output....
   of clear channel AM
• 50 kW to 100 kW - tech: highest allowed ERP
  Effective radiated power
  
  In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of Radio frequency energy using the non-International System of Units unit Decibel, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains....
   for an FM band radio station
  Radio station
  
  This article is about radio broadcasting, for other uses see Radio .Radio broadcasting is an audio broadcasting service, traditionally broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device....
   in the United States
  United States
  
  The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
  .
• 40 kW to 200 kW - tech: approximate range of power output of typical automobile
  Automobile
  
  An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
  s
• 167 kW - tech: power consumption of UNIVAC 1 computer
• 250 kW to 800 kW - tech: approximate range of power output of 'supercar
  Supercar
  
  Supercar is a term generally used for high-end sports cars, whose performance is superior to that of its contemporaries. It has been defined specifically as "a very expensive, fast or powerful car with a centrally located engine", and stated in more general terms: "it must be very fast, with sporting handling to match", "it should be sleek an...
  s'

megawatt (10⁶ watts)

• 1.3 MW - tech: power output of P-51 Mustang
  P-51 Mustang
  
  The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was a long-range single-seat fighter aircraft that entered service with Allies of World War II air forces in the middle years of World War II....
   fighter aircraft
• 1.5 MW - tech: peak power output of GE's standard wind turbine
• 2.5 MW - biomed: peak power output of a blue whale
  Blue Whale
  
  The Blue Whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . At up to 32.9 metres in length and 172 metric tonnes or more in weight, it is the largest whale and the largest living animal and is believed to be the largest organism ever to have existed....
  
• 3 MW - tech: mechanical power output of a diesel locomotive
  Locomotive
  
  A locomotive is a Rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin language loco - "from a place", Ablative case of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine,....
  
• 10 MW - tech: highest ERP
  Effective radiated power
  
  In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of Radio frequency energy using the non-International System of Units unit Decibel, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains....
   allowed for an UHF television station
  Television station
  
  A television station is a type of broadcast station that Broadcastings both sound and video to television receiver s in a particular area. Traditionally, TV stations made their broadcasts by sending specially-encoded radio signals over the air, called terrestrial television....
  .
• 10.3 MW - geo: electrical power output of Togo
  Togo
  
  Togo is a narrow country in West Africa bordering Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lom? is located....
  
• 75 MW - tech: maximum power output of one GE90 jet engine as installed on the Boeing 777
• 140 MW - tech: average power consumption of a Boeing 747
  Boeing 747
  
  The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....
   passenger aircraft
• 190 MW - tech: peak power output of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier
• 900 MW - tech: electric power output of a CANDU nuclear reactor
• 959 MW - geo: average electrical power consumption of Zimbabwe
  Zimbabwe
  
  Zimbabwe , is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo River rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east....
   in 1998

gigawatt (10⁹ watts)

• 1.21 GW - sci-fi: electrical power usage of the De Lorean time machine in the movie Back to the Future
  Back to the Future
  
  Back to the Future is a 1985 science fiction film adventure film directed by Robert Zemeckis, co-written by Bob Gale and produced by Steven Spielberg....
   (pronounced by Dr. Brown as "Jiggawatt")
• 1.3 GW - tech: electric power output of Manitoba Hydro
  Manitoba Hydro
  
  Founded in 1961, Manitoba Hydro is the electric power and natural gas public utility in the province of Manitoba. It is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board and the Minister responsible for the Manitoba Hydro Act....
   Limestone hydroelectric generating station
• 2.074 GW - tech: peak power generation of Hoover Dam
  Hoover Dam
  
  Hoover Dam, originally known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado of the Colorado River , on the border between the United States U.S....
  
• 2.1 GW - tech: peak power generation of Aswan Dam
  Aswan Dam
  
  Aswan is a city on the first Cataracts of the Nile of the Nile in Egypt.Two dams straddle the river at this point: the newer Aswan High Dam , and the older Aswan Dam or Aswan Low Dam....
  
• 8.21 GW - tech: capacity of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant
  Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant
  
  The is a large, modern nuclear power plant on a 4.2 square kilometer site including land in the towns of Kashiwazaki, Niigata and Kariwa, Niigata in the Niigata Prefecture, Japan on the coast of the Sea of Japan, from where it gets cooling water....
  , the largest nuclear power plant.
• 12.6 GW - tech: electrical power generation of the Itaipu Dam
• 12.7 GW - geo: average electrical power consumption of Norway
  Norway
  
  Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
   in 1998
• 18.3 GW - tech: current electrical power generation of the Three Gorges Dam
  Three Gorges Dam
  
  The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectricity river dam that spans the Yangtze River in Sandouping, Yichang, Hubei, China. It is the List of the largest hydroelectric power stations in the world....
   the world's largest hydroelectric power plant october 2008.
• 55 GW - tech peak daily electrical power consumption of Great Britain
  Great Britain
  
  Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
   in November 2008.
• 74 GW - tech: total installed wind turbine capacity
  Wind power
  
  Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form, such as electricity, using wind turbines. At the end of 2008, worldwide nameplate capacity of wind-powered generators was 120.8 gigawatts....
   at end of 2006.
• 190 GW - tech: average power consumption of the first stage of the Saturn V
  Saturn V
  
  The Saturn V was a multistage rocket liquid-fuel expendable launch system rocket used by NASA's Apollo program and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973....
   rocket

terawatt (10¹² watts)

• 2 TW - astro: approximate power generated between the surfaces of Jupiter and its moon Io
  Io (moon)
  
  'Io' is the innermost of the four Galilean moons natural satellite of Jupiter and, with a diameter of 3,642 Kilometre, the List of moons by diameter in the Solar System....
   due to Jupiter's tremendous magnetic field.
• 3.34 TW - geo: average total (gas, electricity, etc) power consumption of the U.S.
  United States
  
  The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
   in 2005
• 15 TW - geo: average total power consumption of the human world in 2004
• 44 TW - geo: average total heat flux
  Heat flux
  
  Heat flux or thermal flux, sometimes also referred to as heat flux density or heat flow rate intensity is a flow of energy per unit of area per unit of time....
   from earth's interior
• 75 TW - eco: based on global net primary production
  Primary production
  
  Primary production is the production of organic compounds from atmospheric or aquatic carbon dioxide, principally through the process of photosynthesis, with chemosynthesis being much less important....
   (= biomass
  Biomass
  
  Biomass, as a renewable energy source, refers to living and recently dead biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production....
   production) via photosynthesis
  Photosynthesis
  
  File:Seawifs global biosphere.jpgPhotosynthesis is a metabolic pathway that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight....
  
• 50 to 200 TW - weather: rate of heat energy release by a hurricane
• 290 TW - tech: the power the Z Machine
  Z machine
  
  The Z machine is the largest X-ray generator in the world and is designed to test materials in conditions of extreme temperature and pressure. Operated by Sandia National Laboratories, it gathers data to aid in computer modeling of nuclear weapons....
   reaches in 1 billionth of a second when it is fired up
• 300 TW - tech: power reached by the extremely high-power Hercules laser
  Laser
  
  A laser is a device that emits light through a process called stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation....
   from the University of Michigan
  University of Michigan
  
  The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan is a public university research university located in the state of Michigan. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan, which also includes two regional campuses in University of Michigan-Flint and University of Michigan-Dearborn....
  .

petawatt (10¹⁵ watts)

• 1.1 PW - tech: world's most powerful laser
  Laser
  
  A laser is a device that emits light through a process called stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation....
   pulses by laser still in operation (claimed on 31 March 2008 by Texas Center for High Intensity Laser Science at The University of Texas at Austin).
• 1.25 PW - tech: world's most powerful laser
  Laser
  
  A laser is a device that emits light through a process called stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation....
   pulses (claimed on 23 May 1996 by Lawrence Livermore Laboratory).
• 1.4 PW - geo: estimated heat flux transported by the Gulf Stream
  Gulf Stream
  
  The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Current, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic Ocean ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico, exits through the Straits of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland and Labrador before crossing the At...
  .
• 4 PW - geo: estimated total heat flux transported by earth
  Earth
  
  Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
  's atmosphere
  Earth's atmosphere
  
  The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by the Earth's gravity. Dry air contains roughly 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% Carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, and trace amounts of other gases....
   and ocean
  Ocean
  
  An ocean is a major body of Seawater, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a World Ocean that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas....
  s away from the equator
  Equator
  
  The equator is the intersection of the Earth's surface with the Plane perpendicular to the Earth's rotation and containing the Earth's center of mass....
   towards the poles.
• 10 - 100 PW geo: estimated total power output of a Type-I civilization on the Kardashev scale
  Kardashev scale
  
  The Kardashev scale is a method of measuring a civilization level of technology advancement. The scale is only theoretical and in terms of an actual civilization highly speculative; however, it puts energy consumption of an entire civilization in a cosmic perspective....
  .
• 174.0 PW - astro: total power received by the earth
  Earth
  
  Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
   from the sun
  Sun
  
  The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
  ...

exawatt (10¹⁸ watts)

zettawatt (10²¹ watts)

• 135 ZW - astro: approximate luminosity
  Luminosity
  
  Luminosity has different meanings in several different fields of science....
   of Wolf 359
  Wolf 359
  
  Wolf 359 is a star located approximately 2.4 parsecs or 7.7 light years from the Earth. It is one of the List of nearest stars; only the Alpha Centauri system and Barnard's star are known to be closer....
  

yottawatt (10²⁴ watts)

• 5.3 YW - tech: power produced by the Tsar Bomba
  Tsar Bomba
  
  Tsar Bomba , literally "Tsar-bomb", is the nickname for the RDS-220 hydrogen bomb —the largest, most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated....
   fusion bomb, the most powerful man made device

• 400 YW - geo: estimated total power output of a Type-II civilization on the Kardashev scale
  Kardashev scale
  
  The Kardashev scale is a method of measuring a civilization level of technology advancement. The scale is only theoretical and in terms of an actual civilization highly speculative; however, it puts energy consumption of an entire civilization in a cosmic perspective....
  .

greater than one thousand yottawatts

• 3.31 × 10³¹W - astro: approximate luminosity
  Luminosity
  
  Luminosity has different meanings in several different fields of science....
   of Beta Centauri
  Beta Centauri
  
  Beta Centauri , also known as Hadar or Agena, is the second brightest star in the constellation Centaurus and the list of brightest stars in the night sky....
  
• 3.87 x 10²⁶W - astro: luminosity
  Luminosity
  
  Luminosity has different meanings in several different fields of science....
   of the sun
  Sun
  
  The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
  
• 1.23 × 10³²W - astro: approximate luminosity
  Luminosity
  
  Luminosity has different meanings in several different fields of science....
   of Deneb
  Deneb
  
  Deneb is the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus and one of the vertices of the Summer Triangle. It is the 19th list of brightest stars, with an apparent magnitude of 1.25....
  
• 5 × 10³⁶W - astro: approximate luminosity
  Luminosity
  
  Luminosity has different meanings in several different fields of science....
   of the Milky Way
  Milky Way
  
  The Milky Way, sometimes called simply the Galaxy, is the galaxy in which the Solar System is located. It is a barred spiral galaxy that is part of the Local Group of galaxies....
   galaxy.
• 4 × 10³⁷W - astro: estimated total power output of a Type-III civilization on the Kardashev scale
  Kardashev scale
  
  The Kardashev scale is a method of measuring a civilization level of technology advancement. The scale is only theoretical and in terms of an actual civilization highly speculative; however, it puts energy consumption of an entire civilization in a cosmic perspective....
  .
• 1 × 10⁴⁵W - astro: approximate luminosity
  Luminosity
  
  Luminosity has different meanings in several different fields of science....
   of a gamma-ray burst
• 9.07 × 10⁵¹W - phys: The maximum power allowed by general relativity
  General relativity
  
  General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the Geometry Theoretical physics of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916....
   without creating an event horizon
  Event horizon
  
  In general relativity, an event horizon is a boundary in spacetime, most often an area surrounding a black hole, beyond which events cannot affect an outside observer....
   (exactly 1/4 of the Planck power
  Planck power
  
  The Planck energy divided by the Planck time is the Planck power, equal to about 3.62831 ? 1052 Watt. This is an impractically large unit; even gamma-ray bursts, the most luminous phenomena known, have output on the order of 1 ? 1045 W, less than one ten-millionth of the Planck power---and indeed, exceeding 1/4 of the Pl...
  ).
• 3.63 × 10⁵²W - phys: The Planck power
  Planck power
  
  The Planck energy divided by the Planck time is the Planck power, equal to about 3.62831 ? 1052 Watt. This is an impractically large unit; even gamma-ray bursts, the most luminous phenomena known, have output on the order of 1 ? 1045 W, less than one ten-millionth of the Planck power---and indeed, exceeding 1/4 of the Pl...
  , the basic unit of power in the Planck units
  Planck units
  
  Planck units are units of measurement named after the German physicist Max Planck, who first proposed them in 1899. They are an example of natural units, i.e....
  .

See also

• World energy resources and consumption
  World energy resources and consumption
  
  In order to directly compare world energy resources and consumption of energy, this article uses International System of Units units and prefixes and measures energy rate in watts and Energy in joules ....
  
• International System of Units (SI)
  Si
  
  Si, si, or SI may refer to :...
  
• SI prefix
  SI prefix
  
  An SI prefix is a name or associated symbol that precedes a basic unit of measure to form a decimal multiple . The abbreviation SI is from the French language name Syst?me International d?Unit?s ....