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Tidal power doesn't come from the sun either. It slows the earth's rotation by a tiny amount.
by card_zero 1y ago
Tidal power doesn't come from the sun either. It slows the earth's rotation by a tiny amount.
- OtherShrezzing 1y agoIs the origin of that rotation not also the gravitational wells created by the Sun?
- HappMacDonald 1y agoIIUC it's only half from the Sun's gravity well, the other half of that energy gradient is from the Moon's gravity well. Also IIUC "energy from the sun" is really shorthand for "Energy emitted by solar fusion", which tidal would not involve.
- Smithalicious 1y agoThe laws of gravity are entirely symmetric, so it doesn't seem fair to attribute it specifically to the sun; also, the energy in this case is coming out of the "v" in earth's good old 0.5mv^2 kinetic energy relative to the sun.
- card_zero 1y agoGood pedantry, but then we can argue that the origin of fossil fuels is geothermal (if we ascribe the origin of life to hydrothermal vents).