How many acres per MW does a solar farm need?

Worldwide the median is about 4 acres per MW (1.6 ha), and the middle half of the 14,759 measured plants use between 3.1 and 5.1 acres per MW. That is about 62 MW per square kilometre. The figures are per MWp of DC capacity, measured by Tera Intelligence from mapped plant outlines. Pick your country in the calculator for a local figure.

Why does land per MW differ between countries?

Among the 19 countries measured, the median runs from 1.8 acres per MW (Netherlands) to 6.1 acres per MW (Canada). Plant layout drives the difference: fixed tilt or trackers, row spacing at the site latitude, module efficiency, terrain, and how much of the plot is left for buffers, roads and other uses. Each figure also reflects the plants mapped in that country, and a country is shown only with at least 100 plants.

Does the area include roads, setbacks and the substation?

The area is the mapped plant outline, so it covers what lies inside the drawn boundary, which often takes in the arrays, internal roads and on-site equipment. Whether setbacks, buffers or an off-site substation are inside depends on how the plant was drawn. Treat the figure as the plant footprint and add an allowance for the full parcel. Only plants of 1 MW or more drawn as one outline are counted.

How much land does battery storage need?

The calculator adds 0.004 ha per MWh for containerised lithium-ion storage, so 100 MWh needs about 0.4 ha, with a band of plus or minus 50%. Enter the MWh in the advanced section to include it in the total. The real figure depends on the layout, safety distances and the battery technology.

Solar farm land calculator

The land a solar farm needs is its capacity times the land each MWp takes: area = MWp × m² per MWp. The densities here are measured from mapped plant outlines, by country, with the typical range of plants.

Data as of October 14, 2026

Calculate

Land for a capacityCapacity for a land area

Capacity

MWp

Capacity basis

DC (MWp)AC (MWac)

Area unit

haacreskm²m²

Country

Advanced

Battery storage

MWh

Adds land for containerised batteries, plus or minus 50%.

Land needed (median)

80.6ha

199 acres, or 0.806 km²

Median: 80.6 haTypical range (middle half of plants): 61.9 - 103 ha

Measured from 14,759 plants worldwide

Module surface (estimate): 34.5 ha

16,119 m² per MWp, 62 MWp per km²

To scale

This plant1 km² referenceThe plant covers about 80.6 ha, a square 898 m on each side. The reference square is 1 km², 1,000 m on each side.

Method and data

Formula

Area (m²) = MWp × m² per MWp
Typical range = MWp × 25th percentile to MWp × 75th percentile of m² per MWp
MWp = area (m²) / m² per MWp
MWp = MWac × ILR
Module surface = area × 0.428
Battery land (m²) = MWh × 40 m² per MWh, +/-50%

Land per MWp by country, measured from plants mapped in OpenStreetMap, data as of October 14, 2026

Country	Plants	Median (m²/MWp)	Median (ha/MWp)	Median (acres/MWp)	Typical range (m²/MWp)
World	14,759	16,119	1.61	3.98	12,374 - 20,590
Australia	161	17,003	1.7	4.2	13,277 - 22,711
Bulgaria	190	15,109	1.51	3.73	13,037 - 17,577
Canada	154	24,531	2.45	6.06	19,515 - 28,473
Chile	131	18,601	1.86	4.6	15,045 - 23,393
China	264	17,028	1.7	4.21	12,905 - 22,424
France	247	13,085	1.31	3.23	10,207 - 16,985
Germany	1,495	13,894	1.39	3.43	9,469 - 20,075
Greece	164	17,585	1.76	4.35	13,793 - 22,390
Hungary	251	18,202	1.82	4.5	15,529 - 20,522
India	1,367	15,250	1.53	3.77	13,251 - 17,761
Japan	166	12,573	1.26	3.11	10,455 - 15,722
Netherlands	141	7,338	0.734	1.81	6,434 - 9,089
Romania	175	17,598	1.76	4.35	15,901 - 20,392
South Korea	486	11,402	1.14	2.82	9,150 - 12,952
Spain	737	19,870	1.99	4.91	16,499 - 24,420
Thailand	194	16,936	1.69	4.18	14,736 - 19,620
United Kingdom	1,153	15,622	1.56	3.86	12,716 - 18,801
United States	5,283	17,966	1.8	4.44	14,377 - 22,548
Vietnam	333	9,453	0.945	2.34	8,435 - 10,562

Measured by Tera Intelligence from Mapped solar plant outlines (OpenStreetMap) with source-stated capacity. The typical range is the 25th to the 75th percentile of plants. Area of each mapped plant outline divided by its DC capacity (AC capacities converted with the inverter loading ratio); single-outline plants of 1 MW or more whose capacity a source states; quartiles per country with at least 100 plants. Square metres per MWp.

Assumptions

These figures are Tera Intelligence's own measurement, not a published standard: the area of each mapped plant outline, taken from OpenStreetMap, divided by the plant's DC capacity.
Only plants drawn as a single outline of 1 MW or more, with a capacity stated by a source, are counted. Capacity is never estimated from area, and a country is shown only with at least 100 such plants.
The outline is the mapped site boundary. Whether it includes internal roads, inverter stations and fencing depends on how the plant was drawn. Setbacks beyond the fence and an off-site substation may fall outside it, so add an allowance when you need the whole parcel.
The typical range is the middle half of the measured plants, from the 25th to the 75th percentile. A quarter of plants use less land than the range and a quarter use more, so a single site can fall outside it.
The densities are per MWp of DC capacity. An AC capacity is converted with the inverter loading ratio (ILR) you set.
Module surface is an estimate: the outline times 0.428. Battery storage is added at 40 m² per MWh for containerised lithium-ion, with a band of plus or minus 50%.
Terrain, tracker type, latitude and local rules change the land a site needs. A country figure describes the plants mapped there and is not a requirement.

Definition: Hybrid Plant

Definition: Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)

Tera Intelligence maps solar plants and their outlines, so a site can be read against the plants around it. Explore the map

Questions

How many acres per MW does a solar farm need?: Worldwide the median is about 4 acres per MW (1.6 ha), and the middle half of the 14,759 measured plants use between 3.1 and 5.1 acres per MW. That is about 62 MW per square kilometre. The figures are per MWp of DC capacity, measured by Tera Intelligence from mapped plant outlines. Pick your country in the calculator for a local figure.
Why does land per MW differ between countries?: Among the 19 countries measured, the median runs from 1.8 acres per MW (Netherlands) to 6.1 acres per MW (Canada). Plant layout drives the difference: fixed tilt or trackers, row spacing at the site latitude, module efficiency, terrain, and how much of the plot is left for buffers, roads and other uses. Each figure also reflects the plants mapped in that country, and a country is shown only with at least 100 plants.
Does the area include roads, setbacks and the substation?: The area is the mapped plant outline, so it covers what lies inside the drawn boundary, which often takes in the arrays, internal roads and on-site equipment. Whether setbacks, buffers or an off-site substation are inside depends on how the plant was drawn. Treat the figure as the plant footprint and add an allowance for the full parcel. Only plants of 1 MW or more drawn as one outline are counted.
How much land does battery storage need?: The calculator adds 0.004 ha per MWh for containerised lithium-ion storage, so 100 MWh needs about 0.4 ha, with a band of plus or minus 50%. Enter the MWh in the advanced section to include it in the total. The real figure depends on the layout, safety distances and the battery technology.