A new study reveals the inefficiency of land use worldwide. According to this study, in countries where golf fields are common, these fields cover more space than solar power plants.80 %of golf fields are in 10 countries
Researchers from the German Research Institute Forschungszentrum Julich identified more than 38,000 golf fields worldwide using the OpenstreetMap database. 80 %of these fields are concentrated in only 10 countries. The US is the country with 16,000 fields globally with the highest golf field. Then comes the UK (approximately 3,100) and Japan (about 2,700). The top 10 includes Canada, Australia, Germany, South Korea, France, China and Sweden.
The study reveals that if 25 %to 75 %of the golf field lands in 10 countries with the highest golf courts are used for solar panels, solar energy capacity can be added between 281 GW and 842 GW. The 842 GW solar capacity exceeds the 646 GW -board solar capacity of these 10 countries.
The study also investigated the wind energy capacity of golf fields and revealed that these areas can establish wind capacity between 174 GW and 659 GW.
Golf fields have high environmental impact
Golf sport played by a small and rich part of the population requires a large amount of investments because it requires very large land. Moreover, the need for irrigation of these golf fields causes large amounts of water consumption. In addition, chemical procedures need to be performed to protect the current situation of the fields. In summary, golf fields have a major environmental impact.
The footprint of solar energy is smaller than the wind
The researchers also made calculations on land efficiency of renewable energy facilities on the public scale. According to these accounts, the solar farms were found to have a smaller footprint than wind farms. Each megawatt produced for solar power plants required about 0.01 kilometers for electricity, while wind power plants were calculated to need an area of 0.12 square kilometers.
These results can be said surprising. It is known that large areas are needed for solar power plants. However, since there should be large gaps among wind turbines, there is a need for more space than solar farms.
Researchers say that their goals are not forced to transform golf fields. However, instead of addressing a narrow segment of the land, they say that they should be used more beneficial by considering renewable energy.
