this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2026
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If we want to get nitpicky, it also causes evaporation of our water thus driving winds and providing us wind energy!
Literally all energy on Earth came from the sun.(except possibly some geothermal, as that energy came from the momentum of our planet forming, which involved fragments from an old supernova)
There are 3 energy sources for earth; solar, accretion/diffusion, and radioactive decay. Accretion/diffusion was an important energy source in the early Earth, but it doesn't release almost any energy anymore. The reason the planet core stays warm is primarily due to radioactive decay now.
you forgot tidal power (from the moon)
also geothermal is about 20% heat from when the earth formed and about 80% continuous decay of radioactive materials. (This means that the planet's core cools down so slowly that it's still hot inside from when it formed) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_energy#Resources
That means 0.1 W/m² of heat on the surface of earth comes from the inside of earth, meanwhile the solar irradiation constant is 1361 W/m², while actually only about 200 W/m² reach the surface on average if you account for day-night-cycles (30% efficiency) and weather patterns (clouds reflect light, 50% efficiency). So geothermal makes about 0.05% of the energy that reaches the surface of earth.
Ah, right, I forgot about radioactive decay. Also from said supernova.
geothermal makes 0.03% of the energy on the surface of earth. the rest is mostly sun, with some very small trace amounts from tidal energy (which comes from the moon).