Compare and contrast solar water heaters and passive solar designs

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Solar water heaters involve circulating a liquid, such as a mix of water and antifreeze, into a dark panel located on a rooftop, where the liquid can be heated by the sun's rays. The liquid is then circulated through coils in a hot water heater, where its heat is transferred into the water being heated. Passive solar designs feature buildings that are designed, and building materials that are chosen, to maximize direct absorption of sunlight in winter, even as they keep the interior cool in the heat of summer. One passive solar design technique involves installing south-facing windows to maximize sunlight capture in the winter (in the Northern Hemisphere, or north-facing windows in the Southern Hemisphere). Overhangs or trees that block summer sunlight can shade these windows when the sun is high in the sky. Passive solar designs also include the use of heat-absorbing construction materials, which can store the heat and release it at night. While both solar water heaters and passive solar designs use energy from the sun, a solar water heater requires a special panel for absorbing solar energy, special pipes to circulate the fluid, and a special kind of water heater that contains the coils for heat exchange, while passive solar designs require no special equipment and may be as simple as closing blinds on hot days to keep out the sun's rays, and opening them on cold days to allow the rays to enter and warm a room.