How many solar panels does it take?

[DarkKnight #SaveTF2]

I've been wondering if its possible to have enough solar panels to last a night with 1-2 water filters, a moonpool, an active scanner, and whatever sucks up power running.

[Amanoob105]

How many do you need to keep up with all of that? Yes.

[Dirak2012]

You can always just use a bed to skip the night entirely.

[DarkKnight #SaveTF2]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Dirak2012:

You can always just use a bed to skip the night entirely.

You just made me feel both smart for asking and dumb for not thinking of that..

[MarkJohnson]

I need two or three solar panels to keep power to my scanner room, or it loses power and resets and it has to rescan everything again.

The deeper the solar panel, the less power they provide.

Moon pools don't use power, but parking a vehicle will drain power from charging the vehicle's battery.

Not sure on the water filters, but it is a lot for just one.

I'm sure there are several charts on Google if you search for the answer.

[grzegorz77]

Diposting pertama kali oleh DarkKnight:

I've been wondering if its possible to have enough solar panels to last a night with 1-2 water filters, a moonpool, an active scanner, and whatever sucks up power running.

I think it will be around 30-50, at Water level 0.

[dreamrider]

Really, Grzegorz? That much?

At sea level, 50 Solar Panels is producing a current flow of 4500 power units, with the same amount of power storage. That's enough for, well, 3 or 4 fully tricked out bases.

Even 30 panels, at sea level, produce 2250 units.

My current main base has an extra Seamoth docked in moonpool, cyclops w/ seamoth docked (via docking mod), water filtration operating, Scanner Room operating constantly, 3 power cell chargers, fabricatior, scanner fabricator, modification station (all used only intermittently, of course). The all solar base produces/stores ~ 1200 to 1350 power units max. Once fully charged, I have NEVER seen that base drop below ~ 800 power available, and mostly it never drops below about 950.

[Alucard †]

That title sounds like a setup for a joke ^^

[grzegorz77]

Diposting pertama kali oleh dreamrider:

Really, Grzegorz? That much?

At sea level, 50 Solar Panels is producing a current flow of 4500 power units, with the same amount of power storage. That's enough for, well, 3 or 4 fully tricked out bases.

Even 30 panels, at sea level, produce 2250 units.

My current main base has an extra Seamoth docked in moonpool, cyclops w/ seamoth docked (via docking mod), water filtration operating, Scanner Room operating constantly, 3 power cell chargers, fabricatior, scanner fabricator, modification station (all used only intermittently, of course). The all solar base produces/stores ~ 1200 to 1350 power units max. Once fully charged, I have NEVER seen that base drop below ~ 800 power available, and mostly it never drops below about 950.

These are my guesses, of course I could be wrong.

Two filter machines and scanner, the rest is not important. Unless you want to charge a lot of battery at night. I assume that the water from the machines is pulled out all the time.

If you add to this a buffer in the form of a bioreactor. Machines will only be emptied when you need. I think that then 10 is enough.

The amount of energy produced in principle in this case does not matter, only how much will be stored for the night counts. The bioreactor is ideal in this case, built under the aquarium.

When I played, it was a huge difference between preparing supplies for the expedition and using the base normally. For bases with (only) 3 scanners I used 3 bioreactors. Two would be enough, but 3 were more convenient.
My main base had a bioreactor and 8 panels, I used the scanner very rarely, and I had one filtering machine. When I charged 4 large ion batteries during the day it was enough, at night the current immediately ran out.

[DarkKnight #SaveTF2]

I'm living down in the blood grass zone about 100m down. How big is the difference compared to 0m?

[grzegorz77]

Diposting pertama kali oleh DarkKnight:

I'm living down in the blood grass zone about 100m down. How big is the difference compared to 0m?

I don't remember anymore, but 100 or 200 meters was 0%. Put the panel and see how it loads.

If you really want these panels, you can also use energy relays.

edit:
Placing panels at depths only makes sense if you only need light and oxygen.

[admiral1018]

Let's try to figure this out a little more exactly.

Water filtration machines drain 0.85 energy per second
Scanners drain 0.5 energy per second
Solar panels supply 0.255 energy per second at sea level

So, assuming no nightfall, you would need 9 solar panels to supply enough energy for 2 water filtration machines and a scanner. If you're also occasionally charging in the Moonpool and using the fabricator, let's say the number is 10.

Now, there is, unfortunately a nightfall. From what I can tell, it lasts for about a quarter of the game day (where you generate no power). I'm not sure what the fall off is at sunrise/sunset, but I've never noticed a huge difference. So if that equates to 25% less power, we'd need 12-13 solar panels to supply enough power.

As mentioned, solar power productivity drops off pretty steadily as you increase depth. If you're at 100m instead of 0m, you'll need 20-21 panels to maintain the same energy generation.

At that point, the panels become annoyingly expensive. You're better off using thermal heat, even if the source is 700-800 meters away, as power transmitters are very cheap. The safe shallows have have thermal vents in both the north and south that should always be within 500 meters of the starting lifepod. The thermal vents in the Jellyshroom Caves can easily power any base in the western grassy plateau area. Most of the other biomes are close enough to a thermal source where the same tactic would work.

[DarkKnight #SaveTF2]

Diposting pertama kali oleh admiral1018:

Let's try to figure this out a little more exactly.

Water filtration machines drain 0.85 energy per second
Scanners drain 0.5 energy per second
Solar panels supply 0.255 energy per second at sea level

So, assuming no nightfall, you would need 9 solar panels to supply enough energy for 2 water filtration machines and a scanner. If you're also occasionally charging in the Moonpool and using the fabricator, let's say the number is 10.

Now, there is, unfortunately a nightfall. From what I can tell, it lasts for about a quarter of the game day (where you generate no power). I'm not sure what the fall off is at sunrise/sunset, but I've never noticed a huge difference. So if that equates to 25% less power, we'd need 12-13 solar panels to supply enough power.

As mentioned, solar power productivity drops off pretty steadily as you increase depth. If you're at 100m instead of 0m, you'll need 20-21 panels to maintain the same energy generation.

At that point, the panels become annoyingly expensive. You're better off using thermal heat, even if the source is 700-800 meters away, as power transmitters are very cheap. The safe shallows have have thermal vents in both the north and south that should always be within 500 meters of the starting lifepod. The thermal vents in the Jellyshroom Caves can easily power any base in the western grassy plateau area. Most of the other biomes are close enough to a thermal source where the same tactic would work.

I've done heat before and I've died for no reason at times when setting it up. :/
Sometimes it just feels worth it to be mostly solar when the sun is just 70m away from the panels and the fact that thermal costs aerogel.

[DarkKnight #SaveTF2]

I have a 600 solar energy cap now.

[grzegorz77]

Diposting pertama kali oleh DarkKnight:

I've done heat before and I've died for no reason at times when setting it up. :/
Sometimes it just feels worth it to be mostly solar when the sun is just 70m away from the panels and the fact that thermal costs aerogel.

Temperature kills.
You can grow the gel.

[DarkKnight #SaveTF2]

Diposting pertama kali oleh grzegorz77:

Diposting pertama kali oleh DarkKnight:

I've done heat before and I've died for no reason at times when setting it up. :/
Sometimes it just feels worth it to be mostly solar when the sun is just 70m away from the panels and the fact that thermal costs aerogel.

Temperature kills.
You can grow the gel.

I know but one moment I take minor damage the next i'm just one shotted.
But you can't grow rubies.