accumulators wont charge because of shield generators

[Praefectus Evocatorum]

looks like all excess energy goes to shield generators, and they are full. but not a single watt is going to the accumulators. I built more power generators, but it doesn't make a difference. how do i atleast have some power to go to accumulators so I can ensure spare energy if needed?

[cswiger]

While the shields are first charging up, you'll need to generate more than the shields demand by about 1/3rd to have surplus power. Once each shield acquires ~8.6 GJ, their drain rate reduces, but they continue to build up the total planetary shield stored power until that is full. After that, their drain is pretty minimal:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3122576487

That's 1 MW drain with ~40% coverage and 450 GJ of shield power.

[cswiger]

Peak drain of a newly placed shield gen seems to be 60 MW, same as an IPS.

[ScZero]

Originally posted by Praefectus Evocatorum:

looks like all excess energy goes to shield generators, and they are full. but not a single watt is going to the accumulators. I built more power generators, but it doesn't make a difference. how do i atleast have some power to go to accumulators so I can ensure spare energy if needed?

Same for me. I generate 245 MW on my local planet while consumption is arround 160 MW. Still, my accumulator do not charge

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3123287641

[DrLamp]

Seems like charging (including building up a power pool) shields takes priority over general energy storage. If defenses take priority over accumulator charging then I don't think this is a bug, I think it's an actual feature.

[Helen Carnate]

I have 11 shields up on my home planet. Total draw is 3.16 MW. It takes a LONG time for each generator to fully stock up its power.

[pemmons1]

The DSP Wiki explains that a planetary shield generator begins to function at reduced radius when it has accumulated 1.44 mega-joules and is fully initialized at 2.88 mj (covering the full radius). But it does not tell us how much power it stores when fully charged. Does anyone know?

It also says that "work consumption" is 24 megawatts and idle consumption 12 mw. What is the difference between a working and an idling unit? Isn't it maintaining the planetary shield in either case?

[Nellvan]

Originally posted by pemmons1:

The DSP Wiki explains that a planetary shield generator begins to function at reduced radius when it has accumulated 1.44 mega-joules and is fully initialized at 2.88 mj (covering the full radius). But it does not tell us how much power it stores when fully charged. Does anyone know?

It also says that "work consumption" is 24 megawatts and idle consumption 12 mw. What is the difference between a working and an idling unit? Isn't it maintaining the planetary shield in either case?

Click on a shield generator to see more details. Shield initiates at 1.44 GJ (giga, not mega) reaches maximum radius at 2.88 GJ and completly charged the generator holds 8.64 GJ.

Working consumption is everything up the the point when the buffer is 100% full, then it's idle.

BUT: As far as I understand this, these numbers are only refering to the generator itself, and that stored energy acts as an emergency battery. The actual shield bubble contains way more energy. Also, as soon as the shield initiates the power draw jumps up considerably (since it now builds the shield in addition to filling the buffer), then slowly declines the more the buffer and the shield get filled (similar to logistic stations).

[Ichooselove]

So does this mean when all the shield generators and buffers are charged i'll get to see my accumulators get charged?

[Bobucles]

heyyyy nice necro.

So does this mean when all the shield generators

no. The big visible charge bar is not the shield. Shield generators cover an area, they do not have shield points. The entire planet has shield points, and the shield cap is equal to how wide and deep the blue shield "ocean" is.

If you squint carefully, the actual charge is shown on the thin blue bar, and also the numbers on the sode. Frankly, everyone gets confused about this. I was confused about it. It's clearly not a well telegraphed UI.