Fossil fuel formed from the remains of vegetation that grew about 300 - 400 million years ago when the earth was covered by steamy swamps
Often referred to as “buried sunshine”
Plants which formed coal captured energy from the sun through photosynthesis to create the compounds that make up plant tissue
Most important element in plant material is carbon - gives coal most of its energy
When the plantation and animals died, their remains sank to the bottom of these swamps, and over time, accumulated layer upon layer and eventually forming a dense material called peat
When the makeup of the earth’s surface changed, the swamps and seas caused deposits of sand and other mineral materials to accumulate and buried the peat
After the formation of sandstone and other sedimentary rocks, the pressure caused drained the water from the peat
The accumulation of pressure and burial layers gradually changed the peat material to coal http://www.ket.org/trips/coal/agsmm/agsmmhow.html Energy Australia said Yallourn had sufficient coal reserves to meet its projected needs until 2032 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-24/power-generators-confirm-enough-coal-to-operate/6417738 As the Climate Institute said the government should implement a plan to phase out coal-fired generators, starting no later than 2020, and “ideally before”, the electricity industry said it would be a multi-billion-dollar challenge to meet Australia’s share of the international deal
EnergyAustralia, the owner of Victoria’s Yallourn brown-coal power station, has previously said it had ample coal to meet the needs of the power station until 2032.
