Land reuse for carbon mitigation: Decarbonization potential of solar photovoltaics in China's open-pit mining areas

Climate change mitigation and sustainable land management are increasingly intertwined policy challenges. This study addresses both by investigating the reuse of open-pit mining areas for photovoltaic (PV) deployment, offering a land-efficient strategy to support China’s dual-carbon goals. A spatially explicit, multi-criteria suitability assessment framework, which integrating installation feasibility, operational stability, and maintenance economy, was developed to identify viable PV sites across China’s post-mining landscapes. Results show that 72 % of China’s open-pit mining areas are suitable for PV deployment, predominantly in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Tibet, while unsuitable areas are concentrated in central and southeastern regions. A total of 5343 mining sites were identified with a theoretical annual generation potential of 935.41 TWh. Inner Mongolia and Qinghai exhibit the highest potentials, while Chongqing, Hunan, and Hubei show relatively limited outputs. In Qinghai and Tibet, PV generation could meet 250 % and 150 % of regional electricity demand, respectively, enabling annual CO₂ reductions of 10.42 million tons and 0.83 million tons. By linking climate mitigation goals with land reuse planning, this study provides an operational framework for low-carbon land transitions in resource-intensive regions and contributes to global dialogues on climate-resilient land policy.