A recent excerpt from the “Myths and Misconceptions” section of Enemies of Energy, a research report for the Capital Research Center, discusses the land use requirements of various energy sources. The report highlights findings from multiple studies that compare how much land is needed to generate electricity using wind, solar, coal, natural gas, and nuclear power.
The report states that most studies have found wind and solar energy systems to be significant consumers of real estate. According to a 2020 Brookings Institution report cited in the excerpt, “Wind and solar generation require at least 10 times as much land per unit of power produced than coal- or natural gas-fired power plants.” The Brookings study also notes that these renewable facilities are often located where resource availability is highest rather than where it is most convenient for people or infrastructure.
Additional data from an April 2021 Bloomberg Green study is referenced in the article. It finds that solar energy requires 140 times more land area than a natural gas plant to produce equivalent amounts of electricity. Wind farms require even more space: up to 370 times more than natural gas plants, according to Bloomberg’s calculations. The study provides an example stating that a 200-megawatt wind farm would need approximately 19 square miles compared with a city block-sized area for a similar-capacity natural gas plant.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s assessment on nuclear power is also included in the discussion. The department reports that “a typical 1,000-megawatt nuclear facility in the United States needs a little more than 1 square mile to operate,” while wind farms would require about 360 times more land area for comparable output.
The excerpt concludes by comparing these figures with city sizes for context: Indianapolis covers about 361 square miles—roughly equal to what would be required by wind turbines producing as much electricity as one typical nuclear reactor.
