- #1
jschmidt
- 22
- 0
Hello,
I am hoping someone on here can help me find a source for a science question I have. How much power enters the Earth's atmosphere from the Earth itself [Geothermal power]? I was reading a discussion on another website, where someone was asking about the Global Warming effect of proposed Space Solar Power (i.e. Space Solar Satellites, Dyson Cloud). The person was reasoning that such satellites are 'importing' energy into the Earth system that normally would have passed by the Earth, and on into deep space.
My reply to the person was comparing the difference in scale between the proposed 1gW satellite, vs the 174pW of power from the Sun which is already entering the Earth's atmosphere (though, granted, some of that is reflected back to space, currently, without causing any actual warming). But, the difference in scale is so enormous, it seems reasonable that a few of those satellites would have, basically, no effect on Global Warming.
But, as I was thinking about my answer, it occurred to me that the Sun wasn't the only source of heating of the Earth's atmosphere - there is also, constantly, energy being radiated from the Earth's crust - geothermal energy, from the core of the earth, and also from, I believe, natural radioactive decay of elements in the Earth.
I tried Google, but couldn't find any answer on how much energy the Earth itself contributes to the Atmosphere (or at least, *potentially* contributes - some of that thermal energy would, I assume, be in the form of Infrared radiation, which, as long as you don't have too much greenhouse effect in the atmosphere, can theoretically just radiate out into space)?
I am hoping someone on here can help me find a source for a science question I have. How much power enters the Earth's atmosphere from the Earth itself [Geothermal power]? I was reading a discussion on another website, where someone was asking about the Global Warming effect of proposed Space Solar Power (i.e. Space Solar Satellites, Dyson Cloud). The person was reasoning that such satellites are 'importing' energy into the Earth system that normally would have passed by the Earth, and on into deep space.
My reply to the person was comparing the difference in scale between the proposed 1gW satellite, vs the 174pW of power from the Sun which is already entering the Earth's atmosphere (though, granted, some of that is reflected back to space, currently, without causing any actual warming). But, the difference in scale is so enormous, it seems reasonable that a few of those satellites would have, basically, no effect on Global Warming.
But, as I was thinking about my answer, it occurred to me that the Sun wasn't the only source of heating of the Earth's atmosphere - there is also, constantly, energy being radiated from the Earth's crust - geothermal energy, from the core of the earth, and also from, I believe, natural radioactive decay of elements in the Earth.
I tried Google, but couldn't find any answer on how much energy the Earth itself contributes to the Atmosphere (or at least, *potentially* contributes - some of that thermal energy would, I assume, be in the form of Infrared radiation, which, as long as you don't have too much greenhouse effect in the atmosphere, can theoretically just radiate out into space)?