1370 2023). Decarbonization of the energy sector in Europe, a leader within this global framework, is put into practice through the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) and its 2023 amendment, which define a common framework for promoting renewable energy sources (RES) (European Parliament & Council, 2023). In parallel, the Just Transition Mechanism, including the Just Transition Fund (JTF), has been established to support territories facing serious socio-economic challenges linked to the move towards a climate-neutral economy, with a particular focus on coal, peat and oil shale regions (European Parliament & Council, 2021; European Commission, 2021). At the regional scale, the Coal Regions in Transition initiative provide technical assistance and knowledge exchange for coal-dependent (European Commission, 2017, 2020). These climate and energy framework translates directly into challenges and opportunities for post-mining areas, which combine both the physical legacy of fossil-fuel extraction and the spatial potential for lowcarbon redevelopment. It enables obtaining more benefits from already existing water reservoirs. Studies of European coal regions show that photovoltaics (PV) can act as a ‘lifeline’ technology in the phase-out period, providing new investment flows, retaining energy-sector competences and contributing to regional justtransition strategies (Bódis et al., 2019). At the same time, analyses of mining regions and municipalities point to overlapping problems such as environmental degradation, aging infrastructure, labor market restructuring, and fiscal tensions, that need to be addressed in an integrated manner (Cała et al., 2021). Work adopting a landscape perspective emphasizes that the ‘recycling’ of coal mining areas requires more than technical reclamation: it calls for new spatial functions and management solutions that are socially accepted and aligned with long-term visions of regional development (Frantál et al., 2024). In line with the abovementioned, the JTF toolkit explicitly highlights renewable energy projects, including PV on former surface mines, as exemplary measures to reduce emissions and deliver tangible benefits for local communities (European Commission, 2022). Post-mining and subsidence water reservoirs form a strategic, even though technically and environmentally challenging, component of coal region transformation. Descriptions of mine lakes highlight their diversity, which requires detailed studies of morphometry, hydrogeology, water quality, and aquatic biota before safe end uses can be defined (Blanchette & Lund, 2016). These large water bodies, often located near network infrastructure and loads, are flooded early, creating opportunities for surface energy generation during land reclamation – supporting EU objectives while helping to adapt to climate change. Floating photovoltaic (FPV) technology offers a promising method of utilizing this solution on postmining water reservoirs. Recent reviews document its rapid global expansion, capacity to relieve land pressures, increase PV performance through thermal conditions, and reduce evaporation. Nonetheless, they note gaps in long-term reliability, extreme events and ecological impacts which require an approach within energy-water-food nexus that need to be tailored to specific locations and management (Essak & Ghosh, 2022; Gadzanku et al., 2021; Haas et al., 2020). The response to the legal issues and the need for modern technological solutions in post-mining areas raised above is the floating photovoltaic power plant system developed as a part of the POSTEN project. 2. SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION The floating photovoltaic farm proposed within the POSTEN project is a modular solution designed for the reclamation of water bodies in post-mining areas. It combines lightweight, composite PV floating structures with an innovative approach to energy transmission using single-wire energy transfer (SWET), which aims to simplify the transmission infrastructure and reduce the scope of work involved in laying conventional power lines. At the same time, the integrated photovoltaic (PV) tracker and energy management system (EMS) ensure coordinated operation of the installation under variable sunlight conditions, grid requirements, and environmental constraints. The solution employs two types of floating platforms. The first type consists of platforms with fixed PV panels arranged in an east-west orientation, while the second type includes platforms with panels mounted on the tracker. At the generation level, the floating power plant consists of ‘energy islands’ equipped with photovoltaic modules. Each section includes local power conversion provided by an inverter and monitoring systems. This allows the installation to be scaled by duplicating sections and adapting them to the geometry of the shoreline, access conditions, and spatial development conditions, which may change during land reclamation. The generated energy is converted to AC and then transmitted via the AC grid to the energy storage facility in order to reduce the impact of PV
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