How Much Land Does It Take to Power the World?

Our quest for sustainable energy solutions leads us to consider a crucial factor: space. Every method of generating electricity, from traditional fossil fuels to cutting-edge renewables, demands land. But how much exactly? And how do these space requirements stack up against each other when powering the entire planet?

The Space Footprint of Electricity

Fossil Fuels: Extracting and burning coal necessitates mines and power plants.
Nuclear Power: This requires uranium mines, refining facilities, reactors, and secure storage for spent nuclear fuel.
Renewable Energy: Solar panels and wind turbines are needed.

A Light Bulb's Worth of Land

To power a simple 10-watt light bulb:

Fossil fuels would need a credit card-sized area.
Nuclear power needs an area about the size of your palms.
Solar power requires at least 0.3 square meters (twice the size of a cafeteria tray).
Wind power demands roughly 7 square meters (about half the size of a parking space).

Scaling Up: Powering the World

Considering that the world uses 3 trillion watts of electricity, the land requirements to power the entire world are:

Fossil Fuels: At least 1,200 square kilometers (roughly the area of Grand Bahama island).
Nuclear Energy: Almost four times as much space, at a minimum of 4,000 square kilometers (a little less than the area of Delaware).
Solar: At least 95,000 square kilometers (approximately the area of South Korea).
Wind Power: Two million square kilometers (about the area of Mexico).

The Nuances of Space and Location

Building energy infrastructure isn't as simple as claiming land. The suitability of a location varies greatly:

Deserts, rainforests, towns, and oceans present unique challenges.
Energy sources impact the space they occupy differently.

Wind Power's Unique Spatial Needs

Wind turbines must be spread out (sometimes half a kilometer apart) to prevent turbulence from reducing efficiency. This means that much of the land used for wind power can still be used for other purposes.

The Importance of Proximity

Cities and densely populated areas have high electricity demands, and space near them is often limited. Our current power infrastructure works best when electricity is generated where and when it’s needed, rather than being stored or sent across long distances.

Beyond Space: Sustainability and Cost

Space is only one piece of the puzzle. As of 2020, two-thirds of our electricity comes from fossil fuels. Electricity generation contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating climate change.

The Cost Factor

Nuclear plants don’t emit greenhouse gases and don’t require much space, but they’re more expensive to build and have waste to deal with.
Renewables have almost no marginal costs, but you need lots of wind and sunlight, which are more available in some places than others.

The Future of Energy: A Diverse Approach

No single approach will be the best option to power the entire world while eliminating harmful greenhouse gas emissions. For some places, nuclear power might be the best option for replacing fossil fuels. Others, like the U.S., have the natural resources to get most or all of their electricity from renewables.

Across the board, we should be working to make our power sources better: safer in the case of nuclear, and easier to store and transport in the case of renewables.