Raw Fossil Energy

where did the energy in fossil fuels come from?

where did the energy in fossil fuels come from? And how long did it take to accumulate?

Public Comments

1. well, coal is just burnt and used somehow to make energy. oil is refined into gasoline or diesel to run engines of generators
2. the biological (plants and animals) that become the fossil fuel. that energy comes origionally from the sun.
3. oils in the plants that later become compressed, and through heat, cooked and distilled to either for a liquid (petroleum) or a solid (coal). anthracite, a hard coal, is of high purity and gives off the most BTu's, there are other coals of variable composition, sulphur content, and hardness. Petroleum also has variable forms and purity, including completely liquid and nearly clear forms (Kansas sweet), gel types that require heating before extraction/pumping (Kern County , CA, and Venezuelan crude) while some raw petroleum is nearly fully jelled (Venezuela). to a certain degree, the oil sands of Canada, and oil rock of Colorado are alos the products of plant compression and distilling
4. The energy in fossil fuels is originally from the sun. It takes a while for it to accumulate, because plants have to grow, die, and get preserved in sediment without decomposing.