A groundbreaking analysis by Global Energy Monitor (GEM) reveals that abandoned or soon-to-close coal mines hold immense potential to be repurposed for solar projects, offering a powerful new path toward clean energy. According to GEM’s Global Coal Mine Tracker, 312 surface coal mines have already closed since 2020, covering 2,089 square kilometers of land. An additional 3,731 km² is expected to be abandoned by 2030, bringing the total to 446 coal mines and 5,820 km² of land that could support nearly 300 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy—equivalent to about 15% of current global solar capacity.
This massive renewable opportunity has led analysts to call these sites a key element of climate solutions. “The same ground that powered the industrial era can help power the climate solutions we now urgently need,” says GEM’s Energy Transition Tracker manager Cheng Cheng Wu. Countries with large coal industries—such as Australia, the U.S., Indonesia, and India—are especially well-positioned to lead the transition from coal to solar projects.
China is currently the frontrunner, with 90 coal-to-solar conversions already operating and 46 more in development, totaling 14 GW of clean energy. In Europe, Greece stands out as exceptionally well-suited due to high solar irradiance, early coal phaseout goals, and access to EU funding. In Western Macedonia, solar parks are already being built on the former Amynteo lignite mine. The national recovery initiative, Greece 2.0, has committed €175 million to support additional solar projects in Central Macedonia.
The benefits of turning former coal mines into solar projects go far beyond clean power generation. These sites offer a rare convergence of land restoration, job creation, and sustainable development. With the global push to triple renewable capacity by 2030, securing land for such development has become increasingly difficult. Repurposing degraded lands, such as coal mines, not only reduces land-use conflict but also provides economic incentives for cleanup and reclamation, areas often neglected after mines are shuttered.
Hailey Deres, a researcher at GEM, notes that developers are increasingly seeking unconventional locations for solar panel installations—from roadsides to reservoirs—and coal mines present one of the most practical and impactful options. GEM’s analysis estimates that 259,700 permanent jobs and 317,500 temporary or construction jobs could be created through these coal-to-solar transitions. These figures surpass the total global coal workforce projected to be lost by 2035, offering a just transition for communities hit hardest by the energy shift.
While old coal mines are often left as environmental scars, transforming them into clean energy sites offers a compelling narrative of regeneration. As Ryan Driskell Tate of GEM puts it, “Mined-out coalfields harbour huge potential for powering a clean energy future. It’s already happening. We just need the right mix of incentives to put people to work building the next generation of solar in coal country.”
In summary, repurposing abandoned coal mines for solar projects represents a strategic, large-scale solution that aligns environmental restoration with economic revival and renewable energy deployment.