The Sun’s contribution
The subsoil does not only receive energy from the depths of the planet. The Sun’s energy warms the Earth’s surface and about 47% is directly absorbed by the soil: the temperature in the first metres of the subsoil are subjected to daily and seasonal variations according to the radiation received. These variations are more sensitive in the first decimetres or meters and weaken, until beneath about 20 m where the temperature is not affected by the external temperatures, but only by the geothermal gradient.
If there is the possibility of using even minor quantities of thermal energy, then the heat can also be obtained from this superficial layer: in this case, it is not the internal heat of the planet which is exploited but the energy provided indirectly by the Sun (so, in this case, the word “geothermics” is used incorrectly, but, as the same technology is used, usually this sector is included in the geothermal sources).
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Electric and thermal power produced from geothermal energy depend on the existence of underground infiltrations...
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