Orders of magnitude (power)
This page lists examples of the power in watts produced by various sources of energy. They are grouped by orders of magnitude.
Below 1 W
Factor (Watts) | SI prefix | Value (Watts) | Item |
---|---|---|---|
10−27 | 1.64×10−27 | phys: approximate power of gravitational radiation emitted by a 1000 kg satellite in geosynchronous orbit around the Earth. | |
10−24 | Yocto- (yW) | ||
10−21 | Zepto- (zW) | ||
10−20 | ~1×10−20 | tech: 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) | 1×10−18 | phys: approximate power scale at which operation of nanoelectromechanical systems are overwhelmed by thermal fluctuations.[1] |
10−16 | 1×10−16 | tech: the GPS signal strength measured at the surface of the Earth.[2] | |
10−15 | Femto- (fW) | 2.5×10−15 | tech: minimum discernible signal at the antenna terminal of a good FM radio receiver |
10−14 | 1×10−14 | tech: approximate lower limit of power reception on digital spread-spectrum cell phones (−110 dBm) | |
10−12 | Pico- (pW) | 1×10−12 | biomed: average power consumption of a human cell (−90 dBm) |
10−11 | 1.84×10−11 | phys: power lost in the form of synchrotron radiation by a proton revolving in the Large Hadron Collider at 7000 GeV[3] | |
10−10 | 1.5×10−10 | biomed: power entering a human eye from a 100-watt lamp 1 km away | |
10−9 | Nano- (nW) | 2–15×10−9 | tech: power consumption of 8-bit PIC microcontroller chips when in "sleep" mode |
10−6 | Micro- (μW) | 1×10−6 | tech: approximate consumption of a quartz or mechanical wristwatch (−30 dBm) |
3×10−6 | astro: cosmic microwave background radiation per square meter | ||
10−5 | 5×10−5 | biomed: sound power incident on a human eardrum at the threshold intensity for pain (500 mW/m2). | |
10−3 | Milli- (mW) | 5×10−3 | tech: laser in a CD-ROM drive |
5–10×10−3 | tech: laser in a DVD player | ||
10−2 | Centi- (cW) | 7×10−2 | tech: antenna power in a typical consumer wireless router |
10−1 | Deci- (dW) | 5×10−1 | tech: maximum allowed carrier output power of an FRS radio |
1 to 102 W
100 | W | 2 | tech: maximum allowed carrier power output of a MURS radio |
4 | tech: the power consumption of an incandescent night light | ||
4 | tech: maximum allowed carrier power output of a 10-meter CB radio | ||
7 | tech: the power consumption of a typical Light-emitting diode (LED) light bulb | ||
8 | tech: human-powered equipment using a hand crank.[4] | ||
101 | Deca- (daW) | 1.4 x 101 | tech: the power consumption of a typical household compact fluorescent light bulb |
2–4 x 101 | biomed: approximate power consumption of the human brain[5] | ||
3–4 x 101 | tech: the power consumption of a typical household fluorescent tube light | ||
6 x 101 | tech: the power consumption of a typical household incandescent light bulb | ||
102 | Hecto- (hW) | 1 x 102 | biomed: approximate basal metabolic rate of an adult human body[6] |
1.2 x 102 | tech: electric power output of 1 m2 solar panel in full sunlight (approx. 12% efficiency), at sea level | ||
1.3 x 102 | tech: peak power consumption of a Pentium 4 CPU | ||
2 x 102 | tech: stationary bicycle average power output[7][8] | ||
2.9 x 102 | units: approximately 1000 BTU/hour | ||
3–4 x 102 | tech: PC GPU Nvidia Geforce Fermi 480 peak power consumption[9] | ||
4 x 102 | tech: legal limit of power output of an amateur radio station in the United Kingdom | ||
5 x 102 | biomed: power output (useful work plus heat) of a person working hard physically | ||
7.457 x 102 | units: 1 horsepower[10] | ||
7.5 x 102 | astro: approximately the amount of sunshine falling on a square metre of the Earth's surface at noon on a clear day in March for northern temperate latitudes | ||
9.09 x 102 | biomed: peak output power of a healthy human (non-athlete) during a 30-second cycle sprint at 30.1 degree Celsius.[11] |
103 to 108 W
103 | Kilo- (kW) | 1-3 x 103 W | tech: heat output of a domestic electric kettle |
1.1 x 103 W | tech: power of a microwave oven | ||
1.366 x 103 W | astro: power per square metre received from the Sun at the Earth's orbit | ||
1.5 x 103 W | tech: legal limit of power output of an amateur radio station in the United States | ||
up to 2 x 103 W | biomed: approximate short-time power output of sprinting professional cyclists and weightlifters doing snatch lifts | ||
2.4 x 103 W | geo: average power consumption per person worldwide in 2008 (21,283 kWh/year) | ||
3.3–6.6 x 103 W | eco: average photosynthetic power output per square kilometer of ocean[12] | ||
3.6 x 103 W | tech: synchrotron radiation power lost per ring in the Large Hadron Collider at 7000 GeV[3] | ||
104 | 1–5 x 104 W | tech: nominal power of clear channel AM[13] | |
1.00 x 104 W | eco: average power consumption per person in the United States in 2008 (87,216 kWh/year) | ||
1.6–3.2 x 104 W | eco: average photosynthetic power output per square kilometer of land[12] | ||
3 x 104 W | tech: power generated by the four motors of GEN H-4 one-man helicopter | ||
4–20 x 104 W | tech: approximate range of power output of typical automobiles | ||
5–10 x 104 W | tech: highest allowed ERP for an FM band radio station in the United States[14] | ||
105 | 1.67 x 105 W | tech: power consumption of UNIVAC 1 computer | |
2.5–8 x 105 W | tech: approximate range of power output of 'supercars' | ||
4.5 x 105 W | tech: approximate maximum power output of a large 18-wheeler truck engine | ||
106 | Mega-(MW) | 1.3 x 106 W | tech: power output of P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft |
2.0 x 106 W | tech: peak power output of GE's standard wind turbine | ||
2.4 x 106 W | tech: peak power output of a Princess Coronation class steam locomotive (approx 3.3K EDHP on test) (1937) | ||
2.5 x 106 W | biomed: peak power output of a blue whale | ||
3 x 106 W | tech: mechanical power output of a diesel locomotive | ||
7 x 106 W | tech: mechanical power output of a Top Fuel dragster | ||
8 x 106 W | tech: peak power output of the MHI Vestas V164, the world's largest offshore wind turbine | ||
107 | 1 x 107 W | tech: highest ERP allowed for an UHF television station | |
1.03 x 107 W | geo: electrical power output of Togo | ||
1.22 x 107 W | tech: approx power available to a Eurostar 20-carriage train | ||
1.6 x 107 W | tech: rate at which a typical gasoline pump transfers chemical energy to a vehicle | ||
2.6 x 107 W | tech: peak power output of the reactor of a Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine | ||
7.5 x 107 W | tech: maximum power output of one GE90 jet engine as installed on the Boeing 777 | ||
108 | 1.4 x 108 W | tech: average power consumption of a Boeing 747 passenger aircraft | |
1.9 x 108 W | tech: peak power output of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier | ||
5 x 108 W | tech: typical power output of a Fossil fuel power station | ||
9 x 108 W | tech: electric power output of a CANDU nuclear reactor | ||
9.59 x 108 W | geo: average electrical power consumption of Zimbabwe in 1998 |
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
109 | Giga- (GW) |
1.3 x 109 |
tech: electric power output of Manitoba Hydro Limestone hydroelectric generating station |
2.074 x 109 | tech: peak power generation of Hoover Dam | ||
2.1 x 109 | tech: peak power generation of Aswan Dam | ||
3.4 x 109 | tech: estimated power consumption of the Bitcoin network in 2017[15] | ||
4.116 x 109 | tech: installed capacity of Kendal Power Station, the world's largest coal-fired power plant. | ||
8.21 x 109 | tech: capacity of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, the world's largest Nuclear power plant.[16][17] | ||
1010 | 1.07 x 1010 | tech: estimated energy production of Costa Rica for 2015[18] | |
1.17 x 1010 | tech: power produced by the Space Shuttle in liftoff configuration (9.875 GW from the SRBs; 1.9875 GW from the SSMEs.)[19] | ||
1.26 x 1010 | tech: electrical power generation of the Itaipu Dam | ||
1.27 x 1010 | geo: average electrical power consumption of Norway in 1998 | ||
1.83 x 1010 | tech: peak electrical power generation of the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric power plant of any type. | ||
2.24 x 1010 | tech: peak power of all German solar panels (at noon on a cloudless day), researched by the Fraunhofer ISE research institute in 2014[20] | ||
5.5 x 1010 | tech: peak daily electrical power consumption of Great Britain in November 2008.[21] | ||
7.31 x 1010 | tech: total installed power capacity of Turkey on December 31, 2015.[22] | ||
1011 | 1.016 x 1011 | tech: peak electrical power consumption of France (February 8, 2012 at 7:00 pm) | |
1.66 x 1011 | tech: average power consumption of the first stage of the Saturn V rocket.[23][24] | ||
4.33 x 1011 | tech: total installed wind turbine capacity at end of 2015.[25] | ||
7 x 1011 | biomed: humankind basal metabolic rate as of 2013 (7 billion people). | ||
1012 | Tera- (TW) | 2 x 1012 | astro: approximate power generated between the surfaces of Jupiter and its moon Io due to Jupiter's tremendous magnetic field.[26] |
3.34 x 1012 | geo: average total (gas, electricity, etc.) power consumption of the US in 2005[27] | ||
1013 | 1.81 x 1013 | tech: average total power consumption of the human world in 2013[28] | |
4.4 x 1013 | geo: average total heat flux from Earth's interior[29] | ||
7.5 x 1013 | eco: global net primary production (= biomass production) via photosynthesis | ||
5–20 x 1013 | weather: rate of heat energy release by a hurricane | ||
1014 | 2.9 x 1014 | tech: the power the Z machine reaches in 1 billionth of a second when it is fired | |
3 x 1014 | tech: power reached by the extremely high-power Hercules laser from the University of Michigan. |
1015 to 1026 W
1015 | Peta- | ~2 x 1.00 x 1015 W | tech: Omega EP laser power at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. There are two separate beams that are combined. |
1.4 x 1015 W | geo: estimated heat flux transported by the Gulf Stream. | ||
3 x 1015 W | tech: worlds most powerful laser in operation (claimed on May 18, 2018 by Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) at Magurele, Romania | ||
4 x 1015 W | geo: estimated total heat flux transported by Earth's atmosphere and oceans away from the equator towards the poles. | ||
1016 | 1.03 x 1016 W | tech: world's most powerful laser pulses (claimed on October 24, 2017 by SULF of Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics).[30] | |
1–10 x 1016 W | geo: estimated total power output of a Type-I civilization on the Kardashev scale. | ||
1017 | 1.740 x 1017 W | astro: total power received by Earth from the Sun | |
2 x 1017 W | tech: planned peak power of Extreme Light Infrastructure laser[31] | ||
1018 | Exa- (EW) | In a keynote presentation, NIF & Photon Science Chief Technology Officer Chris Barty described the "Nexawatt" Laser, an exawatt (1,000-petawatt) laser concept based on NIF technologies, on April 13 at the SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics 2015 Conference in Prague. Barty also gave an invited talk on "Laser-Based Nuclear Photonics" at the SPIE meeting.[32] | |
1021 | Zetta- (ZW) | ||
1023 | 1.35 x 1023 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Wolf 359 | |
1024 | Yotta- (YW) | 5.3 x 1024 W | tech: estimated power of the Tsar Bomba hydrogen bomb detonation[33] |
1025 | 1–10 x 1025 W | geo: estimated total power output of a Type-II civilization on the Kardashev scale. | |
1026 | 3.846 x 1026 W | astro: luminosity of the Sun |
Over 1027 W
1031 | 3.31 × 1031 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Beta Centauri | |
1032 | 1.23 × 1032 W | astro: approximate luminosity of Deneb | |
1033 | 3.0768 × 1033 W | astro: approximate luminosity of R136a1 | |
1036 | 5 × 1036 W | astro: approximate luminosity of the Milky Way galaxy.[34] | |
1039 | 1 × 1039 W | astro: average luminosity of a quasar | |
1041 | 1 × 1041 W | astro: approximate luminosity of the most luminous quasars in our universe, e.g., APM 08279+5255 and HS 1946+7658.[35] | |
1042 | 1 × 1042 W | astro: approximate luminosity of the Local Supercluster | |
3 × 1042 W | astro: approximate luminosity of an average gamma-ray burst[36] | ||
1045 | 1 × 1045 W | astro: record for maximum beaming-corrected intrinsic luminosity ever achieved by a gamma-ray burst[37] | |
1047 | 7.6 × 1047 W | phys: hawking radiation luminosity of a Planck mass black hole[38] | |
1049 | 3.6 × 1049 W | astro: approximate peak power of GW150914, the first observation of gravitational waves | |
1052 | 3.63 × 1052 W | phys: the Planck power, the basic unit of power in the Planck units[note 1] |
See also
References
- ↑ "Nanoelectromechanical systems face the future". Physics World. February 1, 2001.
- ↑ Warner, Jon S; Johnston, Roger G (December 2003). "GPS Spoofing Countermeasures". Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. (This article was originally published as Los Alamos research paper LAUR-03-6163)
- 1 2 CERN. Beam Parameters and Definitions". Table 2.2. Retrieved September 13, 2008
- ↑ dtic.mil – harvesting energy with hand-crank generators to support dismounted soldier missions, 2004-12-xx
- ↑ Glenn Elert. "Power of a Human Brain - The Physics Factbook". Hypertextbook.com. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ↑ Maury Tiernan (November 1997). "The Comfort Zone" (PDF). Geary Pacific Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 17, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
- ↑ alternative-energy-news.info – The Pedal-A-Watt Stationary Bicycle Generator, January 11, 2010
- ↑ econvergence.net – The Pedal-A-Watt Bicycle Generator Stand Buy one or build with detailed plans., 2012
- ↑ "GeForce GTX 480 Tortured by FurMark: 300W and Earplugs Required!". Geeks3D.com. March 28, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
- ↑ DOE Fundamentals Handbook, Classical Physics. USDOE. 1992. pp. CP–05, Page 9. OSTI 10170060.
- ↑ Ball, D; Burrows C; Sargeant AJ (March 1999). "Human power output during repeated sprint cycle exercise: the influence of thermal stress". Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 79 (4): 360–6. doi:10.1007/s004210050521. PMID 10090637.
- 1 2 "Chapter 1 - Biological energy production". Fao.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ↑ "AM Station Classes, and Clear, Regional, and Local Channels". December 11, 2015.
- ↑ "FM Broadcast Station Classes and Service Contours". December 11, 2015.
- ↑ Alex Hern. "Bitcoin mining consumes more electricity a year than Ireland | Technology". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ↑ "Control Engineering | Blogs". Controleng.com. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ↑ "U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". Eia.doe.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ↑ "Costa Rica has been running on 100% renewable energy for 2 months straight".
- ↑ Glenn Elert (2013-02-11). "Power of a Space Shuttle - The Physics Factbook". Hypertextbook.com. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ↑ Rachael Black (2014-06-23). "Germany can now produce half its energy from solar | Richard Dawkins Foundation". Richarddawkins.net. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ↑ "National Grid electricity consumption statistics".
- ↑ "Turkish Electricity Transmission Company's Installed Capacity Statistics".
- ↑ Annamalai, Kalyan; Ishwar Kanwar Puri (2006). Combustion Science and Engineering. CRC Press. p. 851. ISBN 978-0-8493-2071-2.
- ↑ "File:Saturn v schematic.jpg - Wikimedia Commons". Commons.wikimedia.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ↑ (PDF).
- ↑ – Nasa: Listening to shortwave radio signals from Jupiter
- ↑ U.S energy consumption by source, 1949–2005, Energy Information Administration. Retrieved May 25, 2007
- ↑ "International Energy Statistics". U.S. Energy Information Administration.
- ↑ Dumé, Belle (July 27, 2005). "Geoneutrinos make their debut". Physics World.
Figure 1 Radiogenic heat in the Earth
- ↑ "Super Laser Sets Another Record For Peak Power". Shanghai Municipal Government. October 26, 2017.
- ↑ eli-beams.eu: Lasers Archived March 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Papers and Presentations". Lasers.llnl.gov. 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ↑ Matt Ford (2006-09-15). "The biggest explosion in our solar system". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ↑ van den Bergh, Sidney (1999). "The local group of galaxies". Astronomy and Astrophysics Review. 9 (3–4): 273–318. Bibcode:1999A&ARv...9..273V. doi:10.1007/s001590050019. ISSN 0935-4956.
- ↑ Riechers, Dominik A.; Walter, Fabian; Carilli, Christopher L.; Lewis, Geraint F. (2009). "Imaging the Molecular Gas in Az= 3.9 Quasar Host Galaxy at 0.″3 Resolution: a Central, Sub-kiloparsec Scale Star Formation Reservoir in Apm 08279+5255". The Astrophysical Journal. 690 (1): 463–485. arXiv:0809.0754. Bibcode:2009ApJ...690..463R. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/690/1/463. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ↑ Guetta, Dafne; Piran, Tsvi; Waxman, Eli (2005). "The Luminosity and Angular Distributions of Long‐Duration Gamma‐Ray Bursts". The Astrophysical Journal. 619 (1): 412–419. arXiv:astro-ph/0311488. Bibcode:2005ApJ...619..412G. doi:10.1086/423125. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ↑ Frederiks, D. D.; Hurley, K.; Svinkin, D. S.; Pal'shin, V. D.; Mangano, V.; et al. (2013). "The Ultraluminous GRB 110918A". The Astrophysical Journal. 779 (2): 151. arXiv:1311.5734. Bibcode:2013ApJ...779..151F. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/779/2/151. ISSN 0004-637X.
- ↑ Sivaram, C. (2007). "What is Special About the Planck Mass?" (PDF). Indian Institute of Astrophysics. arXiv:0707.0058.