Energy output/use

[Delroy]

How do I see how much energy my producers (solar panel, wind turbine, etc) are generating and how much is being used by equipment? I've done several searches and read through uncounted posts without success. It would be nice to be able to plan the power grid without just waiting for something to quit working due to lack of energy.

[krzosu18]

well the simplest way is to build a cockpit or control station and sit in it it will show % of power used to max power aviable. but that can be a bit vague - if you want more concrete data like how much power in total and in numbers is being generated in total then you will have to use scripts

That will need some more skill at coding but it will allow you to gather more precise data that fits your needs (like summarizing total wind output, solar output , breaking it down to various types and so on and to show them on displays in a manner you deem apropriate. Cheers

[bossbill1]

Use this script. it does what you want and a whole lot more.......
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=822950976

[arthum.inglorion]

For solar stats this script is great, and it will optimise your generation by adjusting the solar panels(with rotors/gyroscope depending on base/large grid/small grid ship) plus it also does monitor the entire power production from different sources and the power usage which can be presented on an LCD. All information is given in the script and it's easy to set up(no timers) and use.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=699142028

[Husky306]

There are many things that could be easily implemented but devs for some unknown reason don't think it's a good idea. It pisses me off that I cannot see the batteries charge. Instead energy meter shows 0 for a ship with thrusters off and then the energy consumption for when they are on. Why of all things would I want THAT information over all the rest?! Well, it does show insufficient output. That's all. No info about how much more do I need. Just... yes or no. On a scale 0 to 100. Terribly pointless.

[Reulett]

If you want to do the scripting yourself, the only way to pull the information from solar panels is to use DetailedInfo. There are no other methods or properties that give you access to power output.

DetailedInfo is a method available for most blocks that simply takes the text information you see in the Control Panel (bottom-right corner) and spits it out as one long string.

https://forum.keenswh.com/threads/guide-programmable-block-detailedinfo-output.7230123/

So you might see something like this:
Type: Solar Panel\nMax Output: 120 kW\nCurrent Output: 45.327 kW

(I'm not able to check in game, but I think Max Output just shows the same as Current Output? Maybe?)

One thing I found while playing with it is that solar panel DetailedInfo often doesn't initialize after a game has loaded until it's received sunlight at least once, meaning DetailedInfo puts out an empty string until then (kept screwing up my script before I realized that...). This might've been fixed in 1.190, I think I saw something about that.

EDIT: Okay verified in-game:
1) Solar Panels still don't initialize until they've been exposed to sunlight at least once.
2) Max Output does just follow Current Output instead of listing...y'know...actual Max Output.

[Delroy]

Thanks for all the info. Forget about me doing any scripting myself, it ain't going to happen. I will check into some of the scripts mentioned. It sounds like it might help. What I would really like to see is a stat on mods stating 'this item uses X Kw energy' or 'this item generate between X and Y amounts of energy' depending on efficiency. That way I could plan what I need like 'worst case situation I need 3 wind turbines to run these machines I want to build.' Now we pretty much just have to build stuff and see if we have enough power then figure out how to add more if we need it.

[Steinaar]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1716499065

use automatic LCD's and you can setup stuff like this, screenshot and setup to show you what's possible

or use the "K" button by default and click on your power sources and see what it displays on the bottom right.

Good luck fellow Space Engineer and fly safe!

[Mr B.]

As others have said, masters LCD is suitable.

You can get output, and status of power blocks.

You can also get the blocks using the most energy, along with their current output. You can even choose the number, top 3 top 10 etc.

It's by far the best script on the ws

[Wastefield]

All the current output/max output/power requirement/battery charge info is certainly available in "Control Panel/Terminal" view (K) when selecting those blocks.
Just posting here in case this wasn't clear, since those posts about "not knowing specific output/requirement/charge level and having to just guess and try blindly" sounds like it's more about the basics and not scripts..?

[RoofCat]

^ exactly. Rocket scientists making simple things complicated. Because it must be, right? :)

Turn off all batteries but one, here's your total number. Ctrl click and Shift click works just like in Windows.

Control panel in game has a lot more info than many suspect. Power generation by turbines, spending, thruster max kN readings using Override slider on even unfinished ones... a lot of info availble there for everyone.

[Mr B.]

Originally posted by RoofCat:

^ exactly. Rocket scientists making simple things complicated. Because it must be, right? :)

Turn off all batteries but one, here's your total number. Ctrl click and Shift click works just like in Windows.

Control panel in game has a lot more info than many suspect. Power generation by turbines, spending, thruster max kN readings using Override slider on even unfinished ones... a lot of info availble there for everyone.

Man, your such a forum cretin sometimes.

Op asked for various things, some of which needs to be monitored. It's *far* easier using a script from the WS and putting it on a couple of LCDs compared to looking in the K menu each time.

[RoofCat]

Originally posted by Mr B.:

Man, your such a

mine?