How does the fossil fuel coal contain energy from the sun?

Answer 1

Plants use the energy from the sun to make food. They depend on sunlight to power chemical reactions vital for life. In a number of instances, plants that lived long ago died, and their remains built up in a layer or layers. As more and more overburden was deposited on top of the layer, compression and time changed the "plant material" into coal. This gives rise to the idea that the fossil fuel coal contains energy from the sun.

Answer 2

Coal is formed from the remains of ancient plants that grew through photosynthesis, a process that allowed plants to capture solar energy and convert it into chemical energy stored in their tissues. Over millions of years, these plant remains were buried and transformed into coal through heat and pressure, so the energy stored in the plants from the sun is ultimately converted into the energy we use when we burn coal.