Clean energy innovation is known for capturing power from unlikely sources, including the ocean, sun and the wind.

Now, we can add abandoned mines to that list.

On March 21, the Biden administration announced a sizable investment in the development of clean energy at current and former mine sites.

The $475 million award will fund five projects in as many states.

In Arizona, it will support the deployment of geothermal, clean heat combined with a battery energy storage system at two active copper mines. The project will help decrease the mines’ reliance on on-site thermal backup generators.

The Lewis Ridge Project in Kentucky will convert a former coal mine to a closed-loop, pumped-storage hydroelectric facility. It will have the potential to dispatch up to eight hours of power.

In Nevada, funding will be used to develop a solar photovoltaic (PV) facility and battery energy storage system across three active gold mines. The project is intended to decarbonize existing mining operations at those sites.

A portion of the award will also be used to repurpose nearly 2,700 acres of former coal mining land to support the largest solar project in Pennsylvania. The 402 MW Mineral Basin will generate enough clean energy to power more than 70,000 homes.

Finally, funding will support a project in West Virginia that will repurpose two former coal mines with a utility-scale, 250 MW solar PV system. The system would power approximately 39,000 homes.

In describing the projects, the DOE notes that mine land is often located near critical infrastructure that makes it well suited for clean energy development. Proximity to electric substations, transmission lines and roads and railroad lines provide essential access to the site, facilitate delivery of goods and materials, and support connections to the local power grid.

Funding is provided by the Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

The DOE also notes that the project funding targets an industry and its host communities, which have long been part of the nation's energy economy but have been hit hard by the changes taking place in the industry. The grants are projected to create more than 3,000 jobs.