Look at it this way Light fro the sun hits the earth.
Plants use Photosynthesis to convert the sunlight into plant matter, leaves and wood. The leaves fall into a swamp where over thousands of years they build up, then get covered by some Cataclysm. The eaves then break sown into coal.
So when you burn the coal you are actually using fossilized sunlight.
OUCH! Twisted my arm patting myself on the back for that one!
That is a pretty neat explanation of the coal formation theory. Well done! :)