91 development by the means of innovative floating photovoltaic power plant solutions. KEYWORDS Coal phase-out, land reclamation, green transformation, floating photovoltaics 1. INTRODUCTION The transformation of energy systems is nowadays shaped directly by binding climateneutrality commitments at both international and European levels. Overall, the Paris Agreement requires parties to keep the global average temperature rise well below 2°C and to pursue efforts to limit that rise to 1.5°C (UNFCCC, 2015). Recent IPCC assessments make it clear that this pathway demands rapid and deep reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all sectors, including power generation and energy-intensive industries, together with accelerated adaptation to impacts already locked into the climate system (IPCC, 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 low-carbon 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 just-transition 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 above-mentioned, 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).
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0Mzk2