Megawatt

A unit of power, especially as a measure of the output of a power plant.

• It is a standard Imperial metric.
• The Kilowatt is a subdivision of the Megawatt.

Description (Specifications)

A watt is a unit of power equivalent to one joule per second and is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer.

Modern, efficient power plants of all kinds have outputs measured in Megawatts. The devices that they power often have correspondingly large energy demands.

• a Megawatt is one million (10⁶) watts.
• The common Imperial abbreviation is Mw.

The Energy Point, a metric used in Naval Architecture, is equivalent to 250 Mw.

Directed Energy Weapons such as the types mounted on starships, spacecraft and vehicles draw Megawatts of power and deliver attacks rated in Megajoules of energy.

History & Background (Dossier)

The Megawatt was first defined as a unit of energy on Terra prior to the foundation of the Terran Confederation. It is associated with the Energy Point, an invaluable tool for Naval Architecture first employed by the Vilani Imperium. Technologists found the Megawatt useful as the concept of the Technology Level and standardized ideas about sophont society development began to take form.

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Marc Miller. Referee's Manual (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), 57.
• David Golden, Guy Garnett. Fire, Fusion & Steel (Imperium Games, 1997), 7.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master Scout Emeritus Adie Alegoric Stewart of the IISS
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science