Abandoned open-pit coal mines could be repurposed into photovoltaic power plants to boost the energy transition, US-based NGO Global Energy Monitor (GEM) says in a report published on Wednesday.
GEM believes hundreds of former coal mining sites around the world could be converted into solar farms.
"More than 300 recently decommissioned open-pit coal mines could accommodate about 103 GW of photovoltaic solar capacity, and large operations set to close soon could host an additional 185 GW of solar energy," the organisation highlights.
If these disused mining sites were transformed into solar parks, global solar power production could increase by 15% by 2030, GEM estimates. This is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of a country like Germany.
Countries such as China, the world's largest producer of solar energy, have already begun this type of conversion. The Asian giant has converted 90 former mining sites into solar farms, with a production capacity of 14 GW.
These conversions offer several benefits, including financial incentives to rehabilitate abandoned coal sites and the opportunity to create new jobs in communities affected by mine closures, the NGO points out.
However, these projects may face several challenges, such as the higher cost of converting former mines into solar parks compared to installing photovoltaic panels on unused land.
Former mining sites may also contain toxic materials, the study notes.
