The diagrams below show the structure of a simple solar panel and how it works. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The diagrams illustrate how a basic solar panel is constructed and the two ways in which it can be used to warm air or water.

Overall

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, it is clear from the data that the device has a simple design with only three parts,

while

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both applications rely on the same principle, and the temperature of whatever passes through

therefore

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rises significantly without any fuel being burned.

According to

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the first part of the drawing, the unit consists of a shallow metal box, roughly one metre wide, fitted with a transparent top, which allows approximately 90 per cent of the sunlight to enter but traps the heat inside.

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, an inlet is positioned on one side and an outlet on the opposite end, so a flow can be created between them. The second part of the picture shows that, in the first application, cool air at a mere 15 degrees is drawn in through the inlet, heated by the rays striking the box and released at around 40, almost triple the starting figure. In the second version,

by contrast

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, cold water travels along a pipe that runs across the floor of the unit.

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,

this

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pipe is coiled to lengthen the journey, and the majority of the energy is absorbed before the hot liquid leaves.

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, if the transparent cover were removed, the amount of heat retained would fall sharply.