Ivanpah’s Land Footprint

World's Largest Thermal Project Requires 92 Times the Acreage of Babcock & Wilcox "Twin Pack"

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System represents the convergence of excellent resources, electricity network and gas connections, and load – making it a winner for the location of big solar. But even with optimal resources, the thermal project is enormous, requiring 3,500 acres. Consider that a “twin pack” of Babcock & Wilcox small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) only needs 38 acres. The SMR is also capable of producing 242 times the electricity of Ivanpah per unit land. Ivanpah’s land use has had its consequences, too, as the solar project spent more than $56 million relocating desert tortoises for their protection with mixed results. Compared to Ivanpah, then, nuclear is the definition of ‘small is beautiful.’

http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/programs/energy-and-climate/calculating-ivanpahs-solar-sprawl