If abandoned coal mines globally had new life as solar farms, an analysis conducted by Global Energy Monitor predicted an additional 300 gigawatts of renewable energy would be generated by 2030. The report titled, Bright Side of the Mine, conducted a worldwide survey of surface coal mines closed in the last five years starting in 2020 and ones predicted to close by the end of 2030.
These solar projects could equal 15 percent of the solar that’s already been built globally and help triple renewables before the end of the decade.
“Constructing solar on upheaved lands isn’t just land reclamation—it’s a chance to align land restoration, clean energy goals, and local job creation,” Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said in a briefing.
This first-time analysis shows that “coal-to-solar transition offers a rare chance to repair the environmental hazards and eyesores of open pits and generate an estimated 259,700 permanent jobs in the solar industry,” according to GEM.

Some coal-to-solar projects are underway in China. With a 90 operational coal mine-to-solar conversions, there is currently a capacity of 14 GW in construction and another 46 future projects at 9 GW in planning, GEM reported.
“And that’s just the beginning of possibility,” GEM said in a briefing. “While recent closures are the likeliest candidates for new development, plenty of other closed mines may still be in suitable condition. The world has closed over 6,000 coal mines since 2010, most of them in China during the coal industry’s restructuring and in the U.S. where economic headwinds forced operators to slash their 1 billion tonne industry in half.
Since most abandoned coal mines are in close proximity to existing grid infrastructure, they are known as grid-ready sites near substations and transmission lines. According to the report, “96 percent of recently abandoned mines are less than 10 km from the grid and 91 percent are within 10 km of a grid connection point.”
“But with the right choices, the same ground that powered the industrial age can help power the climate solutions we now urgently need,” GEM said in a briefing.
COMMENTS