When you talk to someone who is setting up a large scale solar, it’s clear that land is a big deal. It’s not as easy as just throwing down panels like garden gnomes. You might be surprised by how much room these enormous solar farms take up.

Let’s get to the point. A 1 megawatt (MW) solar installation usually takes up five to eight acres, however this might differ depending on the equipment, panel design, and spacing. Why the range? Some projects use horizontal single axis tracking, which takes up more area than fixed tilt systems since the panels need space to move and follow the sun like eager sunflowers.

Let in some additional light: A solar farm that makes 100 MW of power, which is enough for about 15,000 American households, may take up 600 to 800 acres. That’s more than 450 football fields in the sun, all close together. The U.S. Department of Energy says that if solar panels covered just 0.6% of the mainland, they could power the whole country. There isn’t a lot of land, yet it’s still hard to find the proper spot.

Why is there so much room? Too many solar panels can make them not perform well. They cast shadows on one other if they are too close. There needs to be a lot of space between each row so it can get the most sunshine and have room for wiring, maintenance paths, and safety. Then come the transformers, inverter boxes, and occasionally even battery storage. There is also a wall that keeps people and animals safe.

The type of land is also very important. Developers like land that is level, open, and close to electricity lines. If they get enough sun, scrubby areas, abandoned farms, and even disused industries may all work. You can put solar panels on fields where sheep or wildflowers grow. This means that “unused” land can be utilized for two things: clean energy on top and a healthy environment below.

Will solar panels take over all of our green space? Not really. There are still a lot of roofs, parking lots, and brownfields in the U.S. that need panels. Wide fields are ideal for big projects that feed whole cities, though.

When you think about it, big solar projects need a lot of acreage, careful planning, and smart administration. But the reward—getting pure energy straight from the sky—makes every sunny acre worth its weight in gold. Who would have thought that protecting the Earth could take up so much space and look so gorgeous from above?