How does the land use of different electricity sources compare?
No energy source comes without any environmental impact. Whether it’s coal, gas, nuclear or renewables, every energy source takes up land; uses water; and needs some natural resources for fuel or manufacturing.
But there are vast differences in these impacts between sources. Fossil fuels emit much more greenhouse gases per unit of energy than nuclear or renewables. They kill many more people from air pollutiontoo.
How do these energy sources stack up when it comes to land use?
People are concerned about the impacts of land use for energy production for several reasons. The first is the technical question of whether we even have enough land to produce all of our energy from particular sources at all. The second is an aesthetic concern about how much of our landscapes might be taken up by these technologies. The third is the impact of land use on natural habitats and the environment.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: energy pollution
While the United States and other industrial nations have made significant strides since the 1970s in the control of conventional pollution from energy production, growing understanding of the impact of carbon dioxide and other emissions on the world’s climate has increased the urgency of converting the world’s economy to renewable, less-polluting energy sources. Worldwide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions had been complicated by rapid economic growth in countries such as China and India, growth literally fueled by coal and petroleum products. Those countries have more recently joined the global effort to address climate change, and the United States —which abruptly reversed direction under the Trump administration — has made clear its intention under President Biden to rejoin the global community on the issue.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: electricity
Electricity is a secondary energy source: it is generated through the conversion of primary energy sources such as natural gas, coal, solar, hydropower, and wind. Electricity’s versatility is not cost-free: a substantial amount of energy is lost in its generation and the cost of storage is high, compared with fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. The economics of battery technology hold the key to expanded use of renewable sources to generate electricity.