People have built passive solar homes successfully in less than ideal climates. There is still solar heat gain even on overcast days. Heat loss through a lot of glazing in a very frigid climate is mitigated by decorative insulated panels placed over much of that glazing.
How you go about it will vary depending upon your climate, that is only logical. The high ceilings and large shade trees of the subtropical south that are so good for passive cooling would be miserable in the climate you describe.
If heating is your primary concern, having an earth berm for greater insulation makes sense. Taking full advantage of a southern exposure for maximum sun exposure makes sense. Triple pane glazing facing that southern exposure with dark stone or tile flooring to absorb the solar heat gain makes sense. Lower ceilings to keep the heat closer to occupants rather than rising well above their heads makes sense. Radiant heat circulated under the floor whether it’s plumbed in circulating heated water from a boiler or electrical makes sense. Planting a fairly dense row of deciduous trees to block the sun in warmer weather makes sense.
This is passive solar. All it takes is a little forethought and ingenuity to adapt your dwelling to local conditions to minimize undesirable heat loss or heat gain. What is sort of dumb is building the same house all over the place, willy-nilly with no regard for exposure to the sun. That makes some houses hot and miserable with excessive cooling costs. It also makes some houses cold and expensive to heat.
That’s all passive solar is, paying attention to local conditions and idealizing the structure to take advantage of what exists locally for comfort and economy. It’s different in different locales.
You’ve described the home we built 9 years ago...ICF, earth sheltered infloor geothermal heat/cooling.
“Planting a fairly dense row of deciduous trees to block the sun in warmer weather makes sense”
This is NOT recommended.
1. Deciduous trees have many branches that block sun all year round. A dense row is even worse. If you have existing adult trees at the construction site that may be of use, then trim all the lower branches that will block the winter sun, and leave only high branches that will block the summer sun.
2.Just be aware that large trees near houses are a common cause of death, injury, and property damage in storms from wind and or ice.
3. New plantings will take many, many years to get high enough to only block the summer sun, and meanwhile they will block winter sun.
I recommend landscaping that gradually slopes up in height on the southern side as it goes away from the building, such that no winter sun is ever blocked. A well designed permaculture garden landscape is of great benefit.
Using slightly extended roof overhangs, and one floor overhanging another is cheap and very effective.