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Wind is really an indirect result of solar energy as well -- solar energy creating different pressures in the atmosphere, which produce wind. You are incorrect
by w4y2 14y ago
Wind is really an indirect result of solar energy as well -- solar energy creating different pressures in the atmosphere, which produce wind.
You are incorrect in stating that most things use the sun for energy. In fact, everything uses solar energy in one way or another.
- dangrossman 14y agoBacteria that live on nutrients emitted from deep sea hydrothermal vents do not use solar energy. Some theorize this is where life on Earth originated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrothermal_vent#Biological_communities http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrothermal_vent#Biological_co...
- CamperBob2 14y agoDoesn't that energy ultimately come from tidal forces in the Earth's interior that wouldn't exist if there weren't a Sun to orbit?
- dangrossman 14y agoEarth's spin is due to asymmetry in the accretion of matter during planet formation. The dust and gas that would form the planet was orbiting the center of the nebula before either the sun or planets formed out of it; interstellar nebula begin rotating and flattening before they form a proto-star. If you could pop the sun out of existence, hydrothermal vents would continue feeding bacteria with absolutely no solar energy until the planet eventually shed too much its internal heat (from its initial formation, also not from the sun).
- forgottenpaswrd 14y agoThere is nuclear energy transformations inside planets that creates lots of energy: http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2011/jul/19/radioactive-decay-accounts-for-half-of-earths-heat http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2011/jul/19/radioac...
- ams6110 14y agoGeothermal and nuclear are basically the only forms of energy that are not ultimately solar-derived. Edit: I guess you could throw tidal in there as well.
- vdondeti 14y agoWell, it depends on how far back you want to go. All elements come from nuclear reactions in suns/stars which occur partly due to gravity. Some elements are unstable making them radioactive, some of which we use for nuclear fission. Big chunks of stars form planets and the associated geothermal energy. So, solar reactions and gravity account for all energy either directly or indirectly. Gravity is also the cause of tidal energy.
- jhales 14y agoThose don't count as we can't access them directly. The idea with solar is we can access it directly, but we are using indirect methods.
- drcube 14y agoNuclear. Well, you could say the supernova that created our radioactive heavy elements billions of years ago were once "suns". But that power didn't come from our sun.