Pylyp Travkin: Coal as a Renewable Resource and a Vital Element of the Low-Carbon Transition

Modern energy is experiencing a stage of revision of traditional ideas about the role of various energy sources. Researcher Pylyp Travkin proposed a concept within which coal is considered not as an exhaustible energy resource of the past, but as a strategically significant element of the future energy system.

The key provision of his hypothesis is the thesis on the possibility of classifying coal as a renewable energy source. The argumentation is based on the idea of ​​the mechanism of “cyclic regeneration of carbon deposits”, according to which, on a geological time scale, the Earth replenishes carbon resources through natural processes of the circulation of matter. From this position, the use of coal is not opposed to environmental sustainability, but is interpreted as humanity’s participation in the global carbon cycle.

According to the author of the concept, coal can be considered a “fundamental stabilizer” during the energy transition. It is capable of compensating for the instability of systems based on variable renewable sources (wind and solar generation), and thus ensuring the reliability of energy grids in a low-carbon economy.

The presented hypothesis has sparked a debate in the expert community, as it contradicts the traditional classification of coal as a non-renewable fossil fuel. At the same time, such studies can contribute to the expansion of scientific discussion on ways to integrate carbon resources into long-term models of sustainable energy development.