Unfortunately, in the world there are larger areas dedicated to the game of golf than those dedicated to the production of renewable energy.
The areas of land set aside for golf courses are much larger than those set aside for renewable energy plants. This was calculated by research from the Institute of Climate and Energy Systems Jülich, Germany, published in the magazine Environmental Research Communications.
Record (negative). In 2024, there were approximately 38,400 golf courses in the world: the USA had the most (over 16 thousand courses), followed by the United Kingdom and Japan.
IMPACT. In these countries, much more land is devoted to golf than to renewable energy plants. If the golf areas in the top 10 countries were instead used to host these plants, they could generate 842 GW of solar capacity and 659 GW of wind capacity.
For comparison, 842 GW is 6.5 times the installed power of the Italian electricity grid.
Waste of water. Another food for thought is that golf courses require large amounts of water and chemical treatments, with significant environmental impact (and are used by few). On the contrary, renewable energy plants enable sustainable land use, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
