{"title":"Deploying photovoltaic systems in global open-pit mines for a clean energy transition","authors":"Kechao Wang, Jiatong Zhou, Runjia Yang, Suchen Xu, Zhenqi Hu, Wu Xiao","doi":"10.1038/s41893-025-01594-w","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Climate action requires rapid scaling of solar energy while minimizing land conflicts. Solar farms often compete with agriculture and ecosystems, but repurposing abandoned mines could offer a solution. We assess global open-pit mining sites as potential solar hubs, analysing their technical feasibility and deployment timelines under diverse future scenarios. Using a residual artificial neural network and energy demand projections, we find that these disturbed lands could host solar installations covering around 48,000 km2—ten times the global solar footprint in 2018. Their total generation potential (4,764 TWh yr−1) could meet projected 2050 global electricity needs. While Mediterranean countries show the highest readiness for mine-to-solar conversions, African nations lag despite having optimal sunlight owing to infrastructure and policy barriers. Our scenario analysis reveals that deployment timing and scale depend heavily on economic growth, clean energy costs and fossil fuel prices—with aggressive transitions requiring solar capacity exceeding current mine areas by 106%. This study provides a road map for strategically aligning solar expansion with post-mining land revitalization. The transition to clean energy requires the expansion of solar photovoltaic systems, which often compete with other land uses. Now a study explores the potential benefits of solar installations in open-pit mines around the world.","PeriodicalId":19056,"journal":{"name":"Nature Sustainability","volume":"8 9","pages":"1037-1047"},"PeriodicalIF":27.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nature Sustainability","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01594-w","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Climate action requires rapid scaling of solar energy while minimizing land conflicts. Solar farms often compete with agriculture and ecosystems, but repurposing abandoned mines could offer a solution. We assess global open-pit mining sites as potential solar hubs, analysing their technical feasibility and deployment timelines under diverse future scenarios. Using a residual artificial neural network and energy demand projections, we find that these disturbed lands could host solar installations covering around 48,000 km2—ten times the global solar footprint in 2018. Their total generation potential (4,764 TWh yr−1) could meet projected 2050 global electricity needs. While Mediterranean countries show the highest readiness for mine-to-solar conversions, African nations lag despite having optimal sunlight owing to infrastructure and policy barriers. Our scenario analysis reveals that deployment timing and scale depend heavily on economic growth, clean energy costs and fossil fuel prices—with aggressive transitions requiring solar capacity exceeding current mine areas by 106%. This study provides a road map for strategically aligning solar expansion with post-mining land revitalization. The transition to clean energy requires the expansion of solar photovoltaic systems, which often compete with other land uses. Now a study explores the potential benefits of solar installations in open-pit mines around the world.
期刊介绍:
Nature Sustainability aims to facilitate cross-disciplinary dialogues and bring together research fields that contribute to understanding how we organize our lives in a finite world and the impacts of our actions.
Nature Sustainability will not only publish fundamental research but also significant investigations into policies and solutions for ensuring human well-being now and in the future.Its ultimate goal is to address the greatest challenges of our time.