megawatt

noun

mega·​watt ˈme-gə-ˌwät How to pronounce megawatt (audio)
: one million watts

Examples of megawatt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Among the highlights: SRP will strive to cut its carbon dioxide emissions for each megawatt hour of electricity produced by 82% by 2035 and to reach net-zero carbon use by 2050. The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 The first 100 megawatt sale was approved by the state Public Service Commission in March. Karl Ebert, Journal Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2024 Its pilot project in Utah aims to produce 8 megawatts of power from each of three wells at a new site away from existing geothermal projects. Christopher Helman, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The five turbines are operating at full capacity, generating 68 megawatts of power — enough to power about 30,000 homes, according to company officials, who described it as the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the nation to begin initial operations. Steve Leblanc, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024 The wind project, which includes 120 turbines dotted across the fields of 200 participating landowners, went into operation in 2020 and today produces up to 300 megawatts of electricity, about enough for about 64,000 homes. USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024 The Grain Belt Express is designed to carry five thousand megawatts of electricity, enough to power approximately 3.2 million homes. Michael Holtz, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2024 The False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility was the first in North America to recover heat from untreated sewage, and the latest expansion will triple current capacity to 9.8 megawatts. Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Feb. 2024 The two-year study found that Puerto Rico has more than tenfold the renewable energy resources required to meet the island’s demands through 2050, but that new infrastructure capable of generating hundreds of megawatts is needed. Dánica Coto, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'megawatt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

mega- + watt

First Known Use

circa 1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of megawatt was circa 1900

Dictionary Entries Near megawatt

Cite this Entry

“Megawatt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/megawatt. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

megawatt

noun
mega·​watt ˈmeg-ə-ˌwät How to pronounce megawatt (audio)
: one million watts
abbreviation MW

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