Horsepower to Gigawatts Converter
Enter a value to instantly convert between power units.
1 Horsepower (mech) = 7.4570e-7 Gigawatt
Key Formulas
Kilowatt → Horsepower (mech)
hp = kW × 1.34102Horsepower (mech) → Kilowatt
kW = hp × 0.7457Watt → Kilowatt
kW = W × 0.001Kilowatt → Watt
W = kW × 1000Formula
GW = hp × 0.00000074570When aggregating the power of large fleets — thousands of ships, locomotives, or industrial drives — their total horsepower can reach gigawatt scale. Converting to GW allows comparison with national grid capacity or renewable energy targets. A country with 2 million hp of installed industrial motor capacity has about 1.49 GW — meaningful in the context of grid planning and electrification programs.
Source: NIST SP 811, Table B.8
Last reviewed: · see our methodology
Frequently Asked Questions
Real-World Examples
1,341,000 hp of total installed industrial motor capacity = 1 GW — a significant electrification milestone for a mid-size industrial region.
1341000 hp = 1 GW
A national fleet of 50 large ships at 10,000 hp each = 500,000 hp total = 0.373 GW of propulsion power.
500000 hp = 0.373 GW
2,000,000 hp of offshore oil platform drives and pumps = 1.49 GW — the combined power demand of a large oil field.
2000000 hp = 1.491 GW
100,000 hp of diesel locomotives on a regional rail network = 74.6 MW — relevant for electrification investment analysis.
100000 hp = 0.0746 GW