Megavatta

Megavatta is a fictional or hypothetical unit of electrical power used in speculative engineering and science fiction to express extremely large energy outputs. It is not an officially recognized unit in the International System of Units and has no standard definition beyond what a given author or world-building context assigns.

In different works, the megavatta is defined with varying magnitudes. Some sources treat one megavatta as one million watts (1,000,000 W) for simplicity, effectively rendering it a superunit of real power. Others use it as one million volt-amperes (1,000,000 VA), i.e., a unit of apparent power rather than real power. Because fiction often omits details such as power factor, these definitions are not always interchangeable and may reflect the needs of the narrative rather than physical accuracy.

Usage of the term generally serves to convey scale in discussions of large-scale technologies. It is commonly invoked to describe the output of fictional reactor cores, shield generators, warp or drive systems, or other colossal energy setups found in science fiction, tabletop games, or thought experiments. Writers sometimes compare megavatta-scale systems with higher magnitudes such as gigavattata or teravatta to emphasize enormous energy budgets and engineering challenges.

Origin and reception: Megavatta is a neologism that circulates primarily in fan literature, speculative engineering discussions, and fictional glossaries rather than formal physics literature. Its lack of a standardized meaning is typical for terms created to convey scale in fictional settings.

See also: Megawatt, Megavolt, MVA (volt-ampere), power in fiction.