Generating power for first base on Solar System start (survival)

[suppa]

I'm having a hell of a time generating enough power to just keep an assembler and refinery online throughout the day. My day cycle is set to 2 hours in game which is the default.

I setup five solar panels propped up at 90 degree angles so they are a full 4 bars throughout the day, and one battery.

The battery is never fully charged by night time. Other than a few interior lights I really don't have anything else running.

Any tips?

[VanGoghComplex]

Refineries and assemblers can be fitted with power efficiency modules that reduce their energy consumption.

I also suggest manually managing your battery's charge/discharge cycle; the automatic management still seems to waste some power.

Obviously, kill everything you're not using at any given time.

[suppa]

You're saying in order to run a big base 24/7 I'm going to need to find uranium on the planet (earth-like) or have a ridiculously large solar panel setup?

[Cyrus]

One of the first things I try to find is at least some uranium and get a reactor going. Solar is tricky, and batteries need more micromanagement than they should to be effective.

Manually setting batteries to charge during the day and then removing the charge option when you need more power / at night seems to help loads when dealing with the batteries.

[suppa]

Originally posted by Cyrus:

One of the first things I try to find is at least some uranium and get a reactor going. Solar is tricky, and batteries need more micromanagement than they should to be effective.

Manually setting batteries to charge during the day and then removing the charge option when you need more power / at night seems to help loads when dealing with the batteries.

I guess I'll look at programmable blocks and scripting, or the timer blocks. Thanks!

[VanGoghComplex]

Originally posted by suppa:

You're saying in order to run a big base 24/7 I'm going to need to find uranium on the planet (earth-like) or have a ridiculously large solar panel setup?

Well, yeah. You'll need a big solar panel setup, for sure, but that's down the road. I thought your question was about just getting started, not running a huge facility full-time.

[Whiplash]

You definitely need a large number of solar panels. On the wiki it states that to have a basic base with like, medical bay, refinery and assembler, it requires 14 solar panels at max output to power them all.

[VanGoghComplex]

Again, I heavily recommend power efficiency modules for your production blocks, at least early on. Slap four of those things on a refinery and it'll sip power instead of guzzle it.

[Essyx]

Hey Suppa, I would suggest using scripts like this one:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=380993690

Basically it's a script that enables solar panels to track the sun.

[Cyrus]

Using solar as a main power source is always an issue (just like it is in the 'real' world) at the very least get a reactor running to provide constant power all day long and have you batteries set to recharge and only discharge when you need more than what your solar / reactors can currently provide.

There are several scripts out there that can manage batteries and change them form charge / discharge based on total % power being used.

[Master Queef]

I built a massive solar farm or well "building it" hopefully it will be able to run my multiple refinerys and assemblers..

[Mike ={JcC}=]

Originally posted by Essyx:

Hey Suppa, I would suggest using scripts like this one:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=380993690

Basically it's a script that enables solar panels to track the sun.

Wrong. Thats a mod, not a script. You have to add the block on the solar array in order to work.
There are scripts who dont need a mod, but just a programmable block and a timer.
like this one:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=367344570

[Stindo]

Originally posted by Mike ={JcC}=:

Wrong. Thats a mod, not a script. You have to add the block on the solar array in order to work.
There are scripts who dont need a mod, but just a programmable block and a timer.
like this one:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=367344570

Pretty good script to use.

However, one of the issues with solar is the low power output supplied and the mass number of panels needed to charge batteries at full input. Initial setup should aim to build enough panels to supply power to the base with excess for battery charging. I've been thinking about doing a charge/discharge system with timers and two stations which use merge blocks to auto connect, but haven't worked out the kinks yet.

[Mike ={JcC}=]

I use this Script so my solar panels have max output the whole day. Its does make a pretty huge difference compared to stationary panels. I now get about 3x as much energy out of them in the end of the day (literally)
And i just use the automated battery settings (non of the three boxes checked) and it works pretty well. As long as i dont use more power than my panels are providing, the batterys are always charging. I never run out of power on my stationary ship anymore since using this script.

[Sigurd Hansen]

Originally posted by Mike ={JcC}=:

I now get about 3x as much energy out of them in the end of the day (literally)

My life is now complete.