In efforts to supplement fossil fuels, renewable energy—geothermal, wind, and solar—has been the chief beneficiary in much of the world. Most bets for renewable power focus on wind.  But two major constraints still prevent wind from achieving the means of substantially reducing the combustion of coal.  The first is financial: wind, like most renewable energy technologies, thrives in part because consumers are generally not exposed to its full costs. Where wind is expanding most rapidly, it relies on large public subsidies. Yet wind generators happily sell their product at a loss thanks to the generous subsidies. Subsidies were originally intended to help wind (and other technologies) gain a foothold in the market, but the industry is still not viable without them. As wind installations grow, so will the cost and visibility of these subsidies, raising questions about their political sustainability.

[source:  bostonreview.net]

Advancements in modern technology have made coal mining far more productive than it has ever been.  Today, mining personnel are required to be well trained and highly skilled in the use of complex instruments and equipment in order to extract coal as efficiently as possible. Many jobs require four-year university degrees. Computer knowledge has also become greatly valued within the industry as most of the machines and safety monitors are computerized.
Small animals, such as canaries (often referred to as “miner’s canaries”) used to monitor air quality have been replaced with sophisticated sensing equipment.
In the United States, the increase in technology has significantly decreased the mining workforce from 335,000 coal miners working at 7,200 mines fifty years ago to 104,824 miners working in fewer than 2,000 mines today.

A bit of fun:  Interesting little video clip showing how coal was used to make beer…..take a look:

The history of coal mining in South Africa is closely linked with the economic development of the country. Commercial coal mining commenced in the eastern Cape near Molteno in 1864.  The discovery of diamonds in the late 1870s led to expansion of the mines in order to meet the growing demand for coal. Commercial coal mining in KwaZulu-Natal and on the Witwatersrand commenced in the late 1880s following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886.  In 1879 coal mining commenced in the Vereeniging area and in 1895 in the Witbank area to supply both the Kimberly mines and those on the Witwatersrand.  South Africa began a period of major economic development after World War II.  New goldfields were discovered and developed in the Welkom, Klerksdorp and Evander areas; a local steel industry was established with mills being built at Pretoria, Newcastle and Vanderbijlpark; an oil-from-coal industry was established, initially at Sasolburg and later at Secunda; mining of iron, manganese, chromium, vanadium, platinum and various other commodities commenced and expanded; and power stations were erected on the coalfields to supply energy to these developing industries and to the growing urban population in the country. In addition to meeting local needs, coal mining companies began to develop an export market, making South Africa a major international supplier of coal.