How do you unlock improved solar panels?

[Kip]

I had it on my last game, but can't recall what i had to do to unlock it

[Brain_Overload]

Every map seed has it's own starter breakthroughs, you can find the rest with expeditions. They are random I currently have 13. Improved or graphene usually drop after researching solar panels, I sometimes get both.

[bortas]

Don't waste your time with improved solar panels... go for graphene solar panels.

Just do explorations, until you find a data core. You can reload again and try at a different time of day... the outcome of explorations is not predetermined and changes with the time of day, you start the expedition.

Once you find a data core, don't go directly to it but chose "leave it for now". Save your game. Then go to the data core again, and if it doesn't give you what you want, load the savegame and try again at a different time of day, until you get the graphene solar panels, or whatever breakthrough you are looking for.

[gutlor]

If I remember correctly, it all comes down to footprint / electronics. Improved, graphene and carbon wind all had a similar requirement, just a different output footprint. Carbon leaving the least footprint but being the most costly when it fails. Try FARMER-TASK. It has graphene solar, component printing, battery and balloon optimization and sleep training for initial breakthroughs. It's a mad scramble at the beginning because so much is available.