Replace Coal With Solar? We’re Going To Need A Lot Of Acres

A typical solar power installation needs 7.6 acres of land to produce 1 megawatt of electricity.

The Presque Isle coal plant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which is scheduled to be shut down in 2020, can produce up to 359 megawatts of electricity on the 65 acres it occupies.

When it comes to land use, in this instance a coal plant is 42 times more efficient than solar panels.