The specific requirements may vary, but there are common factors that contribute to a successful solar farm. On average, a solar farm requires approximately 5 to 10 acres of land per megawatt (MW) of installed capacity. This means a 1 MW solar farm would need between 5 to 10 acres, a 5 MW solar farm would need between 25 to 50 acres, and so on.
The size of a solar farm can vary greatly, depending on local legislation, utility policies, the electrical constraints of nearby infrastructure, or even the business model of the solar developer. As a general rule of thumb, each direct current (DC) megawatt requires approximately five acres of buildable land.
Approximately 25 acres of land is required for every 5 megawatts (MW) of installation while 6 to 8 acres will be needed for a 1MW farm. Space isn’t just needed for the panels themselves but for essential equipment like inverters and storage batteries too. There must also be enough space between the rows of panels to allow for maintenance access.
The cost of a solar farm can vary from around £500,000 for small community farms, to over £50 million for large scale solar farms. The total cost depends first on the obvious factor: the size of the solar farm. It costs £8,000 to £10,000 to buy one acre of land in the UK.
What Do Solar Farms Look Like? A solar farm is a large solar field that can be anywhere from ten acres to hundreds of acres in size. It must be on flat, cleared land with minimal wetlands and within close proximity to three-phase power and a transmission substation.
Although 100-plus acre solar panel arrays generate considerably more energy, 30 to 40 acres allow us to build 5 MW solar farms. The power we collect is then connected to the grid and redistributed. Solar farms in New York state are limited to 5 MW with a subscription program, as capacity on the grid is filling up fast.