Can tanks be molded or coated for selective absorption?

The Oct 14 meeting explored several approaches to optimizing Duxberry-style tanks for dual solar-absorption and interior-design purposes: molding them white on one side and black on the other during manufacturing; painting a white tank with “super black” selective paint on the sun-facing side; or painting a black tank white on the interior-facing side for aesthetics. Each approach has different manufacturing feasibility, cost, and thermal performance implications. Selective surface coatings are well-documented in the solar thermal literature (Tabor, Daniels Ch. 12) but their application to plastic tank substrates is less explored.

Next action: research selective surface paint products compatible with plastic substrates; ask Duxberry if dual-color molding is feasible at their production scale.