Ask A Scientist© Environmental Earth Science Archive

  
 > >    name         Jenni
 > >    status       student
 > >    age          13

 > >    Question -   Could you explain to me how passive and active
 > > solar-heating systems work?
 > >
 > >Signed,
 > >Jenni! and Leah!

A passive solar-heating system simply traps energy from the sun.  A greenhouse
is a good example.  An active solar-heating system also traps solar energy, and
does something to improve the collection, storage, or distribution of that
energy.  A turtle sunning itself on a rock is an active solar-heating system:
its blood distributes the energy throughout its body, and this also improves
the efficiency of the heat transfer into the turtle by moving cool blood near
the heated surface of its shell.

Tim Mooney
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