Why can geothermal energy tidal power and nuclear energy not be traced back to the sun?

Answer 1

Geothermal, tidal, and nuclear energy cannot be traced back to the sun because they do not come from the sun. Geothermal energy is energy extracted from heat trapped in Earth's mantle. Some of this heat is left over from Earth's accretion billions of years ago, and some of it is produced by the decay of radioisotopes in the mantle. Nuclear power is derived from the fission of radioactive isotopes of elements like uranium, plutonium, and thorium. These are the same radioactive materials that heat the Earth via a much slower, natural decay process. These materials were originally formed by a supernova, or exploding star, but they were not produced by our sun. Tidal power is produced by harnessing the changing tides. The tides are a result of the Moon's gravitational influence on Earth's oceans.

Answer 2

Nuclear fusion is the process that keeps the sun shining. Nuclear energy on earth is produced by fission of uranium 235 mainly. Now nobody knows the precise method by which heavy elements like uranium were produced and how they came to be on earth, but it is presumed they were formed in some cataclysmic event in the Galaxy which gave rise to the lump of material that became the earth. It is not thought that they originated in the sun. The earth may in fact have been produced by various lumps of material joining together under gravitational forces, so it may have had origins in different places.

Answer 3

Geothermal energy and tidal power arise from internal heat processes of the Earth and gravitational forces, respectively, rather than directly from the sun. Nuclear energy, while originating from stars like the sun through the process of nuclear fusion, is primarily derived from nuclei within the Earth's crust and not directly tied to solar radiation.