ADVERTORIAL
26 Million Acres Needed for
Zero-Carbon Goals STORY BY YOANN HISPA, CEO & CO-FOUNDER OF LANDGATE
“Carbon neutral” and “net zero goals” are often thrown around in conversations about energy, but what does it actually mean for the lands of America? How many acres will be required for each state to achieve zero-carbon emission?
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Assuming fossil fuel and biomass energy would be replaced with green energy, it would take 13 million acres of America’s land to obtain zero-carbon emission by generating electricity solely from solar farms. The amount would likely need to double to account for energy storage, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and the necessary increase in electrical infrastructure. By dedicating about 26 million acres or one percent of US land to solar energy—an area roughly the size of Kentucky—we could enable the nation to reach zerocarbon emission. Figure 1 shows the yearly equivalent electricity production (as of May 2022) broken down by source. Green energy includes solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal electricity. Nuclear energy is considered a zero-carbon electricity generation method. Low-carbon energy is natural gas, which the European Union is trying to include, amid controversy, as a type of green energy meeting the carbon goals. High-carbon electricity is produced from coal, petroleum, and biomass sources. Even though biomass is a renewable energy source, it requires burning wood and plants, creating problematic carbon emissions. Texas is the nation’s leading producer of electricity and overall energy. (For more information on state-level energy production, see pp. 52–53 in the Summer Issue of Texas LAND magazine.) To calculate the electricity demand for the US, both infrastructure electricity data and land transportation were incorporated into this study. According to an EIA study, on-road passenger transportation accounts for 62% of the transportation energy use in the US, with the rest being freight transportation (19%), marine (12%), air (5%), and rail (2%). In this feasibility study, we will assume that only land transportations (on-road passenger, freight, and rail) can be completely electrified. Using the driving statistics from the US Department of Transportation, LandGate estimated the average yearly car mileage per driver for each state which ranges from 7,013 miles per year for the District of Columbia to 24,069 miles per year for Wyoming. Combined with the number of licensed drivers for each state, we can derive the yearly mileage per state for on-road passengers.
