Space/Person

You're going to need 144 sq. ft. to feed a person for a year. There are some books that talk of 100 sq. ft. but I personally believe that to be an ideal in terms of crop yield and variety, and I would rather be on the safe side. Therefore, just for 1 person, you need 2000w of electricity if using halide, or 720 watts if using LED's (16 snaplite devices). A halide lamp without outside light covers 64 sq. ft. A snaplite covers 9 sq. ft.

Offered by John.

So, if I calculate correctly, that would be (for a community of 30) using:

halide 2000 X 30 = 60KW generation; or using

LED's 720 X 30 = 21.6KW and

144 X 30 = 4320 sq. ft. growing area.

Plus additional area to move around in to care for and harvest the plants.

Offered by Ron.

There is not a whole lot of difference in 100 vs. 144 sq. feet if you're talking about row cropping. If you're considering raised bed techniques and inter planting, then there is a lot of difference between 100 and 144 sq. feet.

Offered by Roger.