terawatt
A terawatt (TW) is a unit of power equal to one trillion watts. It is often used to measure large-scale energy production, such as that from power plants or renewable energy sources like solar and wind. For context, one terawatt is equivalent to 1,000 gigawatts, which is a common measurement for electricity generation.
The term is significant in discussions about global energy consumption and climate change. For instance, the total energy consumption of the entire world is estimated to be around 18 terawatts. Understanding terawatts helps in evaluating the capacity of energy systems and the transition to sustainable energy sources like solar energy and wind energy.