Closed coal mines could expand global solar by 15%

Over 300 surface coal mines have been idled in the past five years.

Abandoned coal mines or those closing down by the end of this decade have the potential to expand global solar capacity by 15%.

In a new report, Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said data from its Global Coal Mine Tracker showed that 312 surface coal mines have been idled and degraded since 2020. These have a land area of over 2,089 square kilometres (km²), nearly the size of Luxembourg.

Repurposing these to solar sites could help generate 103 gigawatts (GW) of power capacity on derelict lands.

There is also 3,731 km² of mine land that may be abandoned by operators before the end of 2030, which could add 185 GW of solar power capacity.

“In total, an estimated 446 coal mines and 5,820 km² of abandoned mine lands could be suitable for solar repurposing. With development, those projects could harbor nearly 300 GW of photovoltaic solar potential, equivalent to 15% of the globally installed solar capacity,” GEM said.

The report said China has the most potential, with 90 operational coal mine-to-solar conversions, with a capacity of 14 GW, and 46 more projects, with 9 GW, in planning. The other major coal producers Australia, US, Indonesia and India, have nearly three-quarters of the global potential for coal to solar transitions.

“The coal mine to solar transition is underway, and this potential is ready to be unlocked in major coal producers like Australia, the U.S., Indonesia and India,” said Cheng Cheng Wu, Project Manager for the Energy Transition Tracker at GEM.

Hailey Deres, researcher at GEM, noted that land acquisition has been a major hurdle for renewable energy goals, “so repurposing degraded lands could provide salient new benefits to former coal communities across the planet.”