This document compares the land usage in square meters per gigawatt hour (m2/GWh) of electricity generated for different power plant types. A 110 megawatt geothermal flash plant uses the least amount of land at 160 m2/GWh, while a 95 megawatt hydroelectric plant requiring a reservoir uses the most land at 250,000 m2/GWh. Nuclear, coal, wind, and solar photovoltaic plants require between 1200 to 7500 m2/GWh, and a 47 megawatt solar thermal plant uses 3200 m2/GWh of land.

2. Power plant type
Land usage m2 /GWh
110 MW geothermal flash plant (including wells)
160
670 MW nuclear plant (plant site only)
1200
47 MW solar thermal plant
3200
2258 MW coal plant (including strip mining)
5700
25 MW wind farm
7200
10 MW solar PV plant
7500
95 MW hydroelectric plant (reservoir only)
250000


3.  Production Well
 Working fluid, Cooling fluid, Geothermal
brine
 Evaporator
 Preheater
 Turbine
 Condenser
 Generator
 Injection Well