How coal mines become sunlight

Unused coal mines can be modified to place vast fields of solar panels, and new reports suggest that they provide an unlikely solution to the general obstacles to green energy source uptake.

Hundreds of abolished surface mines around the world offer alternatives to the land area needed for food and housing, according to Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a non-governmental organization focusing on fossil fuels and renewable energy projects.

Abandoned coal mines tend to be on already cleared land and near electric grids, making them ideal for feeding renewable energy.

“The committee’s over 300 surface coal mines could recently accommodate around 103GW of solar capacity, and future large-scale operations closures could potentially host an additional 185GW of solar,” according to the group.

This will allow the world to add to what is equivalent to 15% of its existing global solar capacity by 2030, or what it takes to move Germany’s size to the country for a year, Gem added.

And prospects are more than just theoretical. The conversion of coal mines to subbases has already happened in several countries, particularly China.

So, the conversion of 90, which has a capacity of 14GW, has already been completed, with another 9GW planned, Gem said.

Conversions offer several potential benefits, including financial incentives to clean up abandoned coal sites and the opportunity to create new jobs in surrounding communities hit by mine closures.

It’s an opportunity to “coordinate land reclamation as well as land recovery, clean energy goals and local job creation,” Gem said.

Coal is a pollutant fossil fuel that contributes to climate change, and phased out its use is an important part of the energy transition.

However, there are several important potential obstacles to such conversions, such as tracking land ownership in abandoned mines.

Permissions and rules for reverting land to their original status can also be a challenge.

However, since coal mine-to-base conversion is more expensive than developing solar power that does not require rehabilitation, the biggest obstacle could be cost.

Mining sites are unstable and can contain toxic substances.

Also, nearby grid infrastructures that were previously used for stable baseload coal power must be upgraded to handle variable solar supply.

Still, report co-author Cheng Cheng Wu said there is good reason to believe conversions can speed up.

“This model may not be scalable in all contexts yet, but we have observed that policy direction at the local level can promote corporate interest in recycling from coal, targeting the expansion of renewable energy while rehabilitating environmentally degraded land,” she told AFP.

“The state with China’s most active projects is a project that has suffered considerable environmental costs from its mining history,” she added.

Higher costs need to be weighed against benefits, co-author Ryan Driskell-Tate said, “We want owners to release assets, allow the process, allow the community buy-in, and more.”

“I think that’s why we see it emerge in different regions and contexts,” he told AFP.

©2025 AFP