The US says it needs 22m acres for the solar energy transition – here’s what that looks like

The Bureau of Land Management proposed using 22m acres of public land for solar projects - roughly the size of Maine, or an area larger than Scotland

If the US is to rid itself of fossil fuels then one of its primary replacements, solar energy, is going to need land. A lot of land.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which oversees more of the public realm than any other federal government agency, has outlined exactly how much of western America should be made available for solar panels and their associated cables and transformers - 22m acres. That is roughly the size of Maine, or an area larger than Scotland.