Difference between revisions of "Solar generator"

Latest revision as of 12:37, 27 September 2024

A solar generator generates power from sunlight.

Acquisition[edit]

Solar generators can be constructed once the solar panel research project has been completed. Each requires 100 Steel, 3 Components, 2,500 ticks (41.67 secs) of work modified by the construction speed of the builder, and a construction skill of 6.

Once constructed, they cannot be re-installed, they can only be deconstructed.

Summary[edit]

Solar generators produce up to 1700 W of power at 100% natural light. Power is a direct product of light level; for example, 50% daylight gives 850 W. An eclipse blocks the sun, but weather conditions like rain, fog, or snow will not reduce any power. A roof reduces power output, proportional to the tiles covered. However, there's no "overshadow" from mountains, despite any graphics of long shadows seen in the game.

Solar generators only operate by the world light level; light from ordinary sources such as a standing lamp or sun lamp will not cause them to generate power. The latitude of your starting position will affect solar cycles, with equator zones giving the strong consistent output and the north pole struggling to reach peak output.

Lightning striking causes the generator to create a small amount of power.

Analysis[edit]

Solar generators are "free" energy; once built, they do not need fueling, they simply give and keep giving... while they have sunshine. They do not give their maximum power from start to finish; as daylight grows, the power they provide slowly grows to their full capacity, and then tapers off again back to zero as dusk and night approach.

The exact amount of sun depends on your latitude and season. In a single day near the equator, there are roughly:

9 hours of full sunlight - from 0800 to 1700
8 hours of no sunlight - from 2000 to 0400.
7 hours of reduced sunlight - from 0400 to 0800, and 1700 to 2000.

Batteries are the easiest way to make power consistent, allowing power use at night, so long as an eclipse or short circuit doesn't happen.

Alternatively, you can accept that not all items need to be powered 24/7. Most production benches are only used when colonists are awake, and many buildings like smelters and crematoriums don't need to be used daily. The most pertinent case is with sun lamps, which shuts down as night begins. Two solar generators will roughly power a sun lamp. However, the solar generator's full output doesn't always align with the sun lamp's on period, so batteries remain helpful.

Comparison[edit]

Compared to wind turbines, solar generators take up less space (so are easier to protect) and provide fairly consistent power. While wind works day and night, even with a battery, power may turn off randomly at a crucial moment. However, using solar requires research, and they consistently shut off at night, or during an eclipse.

It is worth noting that solar generators are low-lying - you can place them in front of a wind turbine, without blocking the wind.

Version history[edit]

Original sprite

Architect

Power: Power conduit (Hidden, Waterproof) • Power switch • Wood-fired generator • Chemfuel powered generator • Wind turbine
(research): Battery • Geothermal generator • Solar generator • Watermill generator • Toxifier generator • Bioferrite generator
(uncraftable): Vanometric power cell • Unstable power cell
Related: Ship reactor • Electroharvester

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Rewrite|reason=Format standardization - Summary/Analysis split}}{{infobox main|building|
+{{infobox main|building|
 |name = Solar generator
 |image = Solar generator.png|128px{{!}}Solar generator
@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 |path cost = 50
 |passability = pass through only
+|blockswind = false
 |cover = 0.5
 |minifiable = false
@@ Line 23: / Line 24: @@
 |resource 2 = Component
 |resource 2 amount = 3
-}}{{Info|A '''solar generator''' provides up to 1700W of power from sunlight. It has much smaller space requirements than a [[wind turbine]] but provides no power at night or during an [[Events#Eclipse|eclipse]]. It can be placed in a wind turbine's exclusion zone with no effect on the turbine. Solar generators may be protected by surrounding them with walls, but they must stay unroofed to operate.}}
+}}A '''solar generator''' generates [[power]] from sunlight.
 == Acquisition ==
-Solar generators can be constructed once the [[Research#{{P|Required Research}}|{{P|Required Research}}]] research project has been completed. They require {{Required Resources}}, {{Ticks|{{P|Work To Make}}}} of work, and a [[{{P|Skill 1}}]] of {{P|Skill 1 Level}}.
+{{Acquisition}}
 == Summary ==
 {{stub|section=1|reason=Need analysis of how latitude affects power generation and graph of daily light cycle}}
-Power output is a direct product of the daytime [[Environment#Light|light]] level. For example, at 50% daylight a solar generator produces 850W of its 1700W maximum.
+Solar generators produce up to 1700 W of [[power]] at 100% natural [[light]]. Power is a direct product of light level; for example, 50% daylight gives 850 W. An [[eclipse]] blocks the sun, but [[weather]] conditions like rain, fog, or snow will ''not'' reduce any power. A [[roof]] reduces power output, proportional to the tiles covered. However, there's no "overshadow" from mountains, despite any graphics of long shadows seen in the game.
-[[Battery|Batteries]] are a useful supplement to solar generators since they will store power during the day and keep the base online through the night.
 Solar generators only operate by the world light level; light from ordinary sources such as a [[standing lamp]] or [[sun lamp]] will not cause them to generate power. The latitude of your starting position will affect solar cycles, with equator zones giving the strong consistent output and the north pole struggling to reach peak output.
-Lightning striking causes it to generate a small amount of power.
+Lightning striking causes the generator to create a small amount of power.
 == Analysis ==
-{{stub|section=1}}
+Solar generators are "free" energy; once built, they do not need fueling, they simply give and keep giving... while they have sunshine. They do not give their maximum power from start to finish; as daylight grows, the power they provide slowly grows to their full capacity, and then tapers off again back to zero as dusk and night approach.
-Solar generators are "free" energy; once built, they do not need fueling, they simply give and keep giving... while they have sunshine. They do not give their maximum power from start to finish; as daylight grows, the power they provide slowly grows to their full capacity, and then tapers off again back to zero as dusk and night approach. "Daylight" hours start shortly after 0400, with initial power output in single-digit watts, rapidly growing into the low hundreds and up, reaching full power around 0800. Power will begin to drop after 1700, finally reaching 0 watts shortly after 2000, leaving about 8 full hours with zero power from solar sources, and over 7 hours more where the power is less than maximum.
-Note that "bad [[weather]]" will '''not''' reduce the power produced.  A [[solar eclipse]] will reduce all solar power to 0 watts for the duration of the eclipse, same as the dark of night time.  Similarly, a [[solar flare]] will disrupt all electrical power for its duration, even if it is not technically "weather".
+The exact amount of sun depends on your latitude and season. In a single day near the equator, there are roughly:
+*9 hours of full sunlight - from 0800 to 1700
+*8 hours of no sunlight - from 2000 to 0400.
+*7 hours of reduced sunlight - from 0400 to 0800, and 1700 to 2000.
-Placement of the solar generators next to mountains or tall structures does not matter - there are no morning/evening  "shadows" from terrain or buildings that make a difference, despite any graphics of long shadows seen in the game. However, shadows caused by any [[roof]] or overhead mountain over any part of a generator ''will'' reduce the power output proportionally. Clearing such a roof will return a generator to full power, as appropriate.
+[[Batteries]] are the easiest way to make power consistent, allowing power use at night, so long as an [[eclipse]] or [[short circuit]] doesn't happen.
-There are two approaches to account for the "daytime only" power that solar provides, and both are valuable in different ways. The first is to use [[battery|batteries]] to provide power while the solar generators are offline.  The second is to recognize that not all items need to be powered 24/7, especially during the night.  Most electric production benches are only used when colonists are awake, and especially production benches that are not full time such as [[Electric smelter|smelters]], [[Electric crematorium|crematorium]]s or [[nutrient paste dispenser]]s can easily do their job during daylight hours and colonists can simply wait until then to use them.  [[Heater]]s and [[cooler]]s can be set on high during daylight and then the indoor temperatures allowed to drift back toward "outdoors" at night, but even with double-wall insulation this may not be acceptable to the colonists' [[mood]]s, and at least some additional independently powered temperature control may be desired.
+Alternatively, you can accept that not all items need to be powered 24/7. Most production benches are only used when colonists are awake, and many buildings like [[Electric smelter|smelters]] and [[Electric crematorium|crematorium]]s don't need to be used daily. The most pertinent case is with [[sun lamp]]s, which shuts down as night begins. Two solar generators will roughly power a sun lamp. However, the solar generator's full output doesn't always align with the sun lamp's on period, so batteries remain helpful.
+===Comparison===
+Compared to [[wind turbine]]s, solar generators take up less space (so are easier to protect) and provide fairly consistent power. While wind works day and night, even with a [[battery]], power may turn off randomly at a crucial moment. However, using solar requires research, and they consistently shut off at night, or during an [[eclipse]].
+It is worth noting that solar generators are low-lying - you can place them in front of a wind turbine, without blocking the wind.
 == Version history ==