Automated accumulator shipment

[j.bellonc]

So, I've seen a few times that you can deliver fully loaded accumulators to other planets, but my question is, how do you do it automatically?

People seem to be able to do it but I just can't figure out how to deconstruct the charged ones but manually and then placing them in a chest.

Am I missing something?

[Wyrmlet]

There is a device called "energy exchanger" somewhere in the tech tree. You load accumulators into it and it outputs charged accumulators. In a different mode it can also take charged ones as input to output the power into the grid

[Khalani]

Originally posted by flow:

Interstellar logistics towers only send out full shipments, so you’ll need to have at least 200 charged accumulators, unless you’ve upgraded capacity already, then you need even more

My 3rd planet, the one far away, is tidal locked and I use it to generate 90MW of energy.
To transfer it I use 2 energy exchanger (since 1 has a input/output) of 45MW.

This process needs a massive amount of accumulators for constant power delivery.
I use 1200 accumulators and still have some windows, where I don't have power.

So if you use energy exchanger for constant power supply, prepare to have a lot of them.

I've set up an automated accumulator production with 2 constructors but they eat up massive amounts of Iron and also lots of copper.

It's probably not worth to use this method in terms of resource/power ratio, but it is sort of an fun project.

[j.bellonc]

So FINALLY I know what's the energy exchanger for! Now that I read the description more carefully, it clearly states it, I just didn't wrap my head around it the first time I read it and thought the energy exchangers as a sort of mega accumulators.

Thanks!

[Isenfalk]

Originally posted by DaFG Khalani:

Originally posted by flow:

My 3rd planet, the one far away, is tidal locked and I use it to generate 90MW of energy.
To transfer it I use 2 energy exchanger (since 1 has a input/output) of 45MW.

Just 90MW?
I'm currently at 385MW with solar power on my tidal locked planet
With a dozend energy exchangers doing charging it powers pretty much the entire solar system.

To OP:
The energy exchanger can get empty accumulators via belt and charges them in "charge" mode. The charged accumulators can be stored and shipped by a interstellar Drone station, which also receives empty accumulators
On consuming planets, there is a station which demands full accumulators, sends them via belt to an energy exchanger in mode "discharge" and sends (supply) the empty accumulators back.

[Khalani]

Originally posted by Isenfalk:

Just 90MW?
I'm currently at 385MW with solar power on my tidal locked planet
With a dozend energy exchangers doing charging it powers pretty much the entire solar system.

How many accumulators do you have in your network to do that? For now I don't need more energy, but i have to expand very soon ;)

[Xuhybrid]

The thing i don't get is this. You have to send 200 charged accumulators at a time between planets. Then you need 200 more placed on the ground to store the power as it's unloaded. Then 200 more empty ones to charge while that's going on. Little excessive, maybe?

[Khalani]

I think the initial amount is high, yes.
But as you add exchangers, the accumulators won't increase as much as the initial spike, or thats my guess at least.

Maybe Isenfalk can give as more insight, since he seems to use it on a larger scale.
Don't forget, that the resources are not wasted, once build, those accumulators exist forever (in contrast to those solar sails)

[Isenfalk]

@Xuhybrid
You just need a bit more than 400 accumulators to start.
200 charged are sent to the unload planet and automatically unload in the energy exchanger there to fit demand. It discharges just the amount required, so it takes its time.
You just need enough accumulators in the system to have a load of fully charged at the charging planet and a load of empty at the consuming planet (plus some as a buffer)

@ Khalani
Not very many, actually
Just about 500 at each consuming planet (incl. transit) plus ca. 1000 as buffer ready to ship
I have one interstellar station on each planet just for this, so there are alyways enough vessel available for transport

Edit:
Forgot an important detail:
The interstellar stations at consuming planets are set to demand just 300 full accumulators (started with 200). That way one planet doesn't hoard full cells while another is running dry