energy grid VS. power plant ?

[Jesse]

hi

what's the difference/benefit/best option between buildings like this?

energy grid gives energy + % energy (% of what?) but costs more

power plant gives energy but costs less

there's also similar buildings for other resources - whats the deal? whats best?

[Knight.R]

The energy grid provides a 10% increase in the planet's energy output as a whole.

While the [bethatrian]/power plant gives flat increases.

Same goes with the mineral processing plant providing 10% increase in mineral ouput while mining buildings provide flat mineral output.

They tend to be very usefull in planets that you have in your core systems dedicated for energy output. Especially after you upgraded them to their final stage in which their bonus is increased to 20% plus planet output.

[Jesse]

Originally posted by Knight.R:

The energy grid provides a 10% increase in the planet's energy output as a whole.

While the [bethatrian]/power plant gives flat increases.

Same goes with the mineral processing plant providing 10% increase in mineral ouput while mining buildings provide flat mineral output.

They tend to be very usefull in planets that you have in your core systems dedicated for energy output. Especially after you upgraded them to their final stage in which their bonus is increased to 20% plus planet output.

so if a planet is devoted to energy it should be ALL energy grid?

[Dr Duh]

energy grid is planet unique - only one allowed per planet

[Helican]

Originally posted by shorxrore:

Originally posted by Knight.R:

The energy grid provides a 10% increase in the planet's energy output as a whole.

While the [bethatrian]/power plant gives flat increases.

Same goes with the mineral processing plant providing 10% increase in mineral ouput while mining buildings provide flat mineral output.

They tend to be very usefull in planets that you have in your core systems dedicated for energy output. Especially after you upgraded them to their final stage in which their bonus is increased to 20% plus planet output.

so if a planet is devoted to energy it should be ALL energy grid?

That is impossible. the energy grid is planet unique.

[galadon3]

Basically the energy grid can only be built once per planet. Since Power Plant IV (biggest one you can build on non-capital planets) generates 6 points of energy and the energy nexus (upgraded energy grid) produces 6 points of energy PLUS a planetwide +20% enegry bonus (and +2 unity with a tradition) its kinda a no-brainer to build one on a planet.

The Betharian Powerplant can only be built on a tile with betarian stone and its exactly what should be built there since it produces 10 energy.

Nearly the same goes for the mineral processing plant (nearly because the biggest non-capital mine produces 5 minerals and the processing plant only 4 plus the +20% planetwide bonus to mineralproduction. And the upkeep is 2.5 for the mine and 3 for the plant so there might be some small planets with little mineral output where it might be better to go for the mine, but thats rare.

[Jesse]

so if a planet is devoted to energy it should be ALL energy grid?

That is impossible. the energy grid is planet unique. [/quote]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

ok now i get it :)

[Knight.R]

Originally posted by shorxrore:

Originally posted by Knight.R:

The energy grid provides a 10% increase in the planet's energy output as a whole.

While the [bethatrian]/power plant gives flat increases.

Same goes with the mineral processing plant providing 10% increase in mineral ouput while mining buildings provide flat mineral output.

They tend to be very usefull in planets that you have in your core systems dedicated for energy output. Especially after you upgraded them to their final stage in which their bonus is increased to 20% plus planet output.

so if a planet is devoted to energy it should be ALL energy grid?

Not exactly. I may of mislead you somewhere by not including all details and apologize so let me start from the top.

Everything in this from ships to builds will cost energy and mineral maintance. While at some point in time mineral income "Might" not be an issue energy is something that you will find yourself constantly trying to increase despite how much you already stockpiled and general monthly income. Reason being middle to late game the BIGGEST drain in energy resource will be your ships.
The best way to handle this (if you don't have the utopia dlc and can't build dyson spheres) at least the way i do it. Is by having several systems (usually some with multiple and or large habitable planets) and building many powerplants on those core systems to help keep my doomstack cruising rather than docked.
I tend to at least make sure (to a degree )that every colony i have be it under my control or placed under a sector to provide a surplus of energy or at the very least support itself.

Say i have a planet with 4 powerplants giving me i dont know 40 energy max so to say not including maintanace for other buildings in that planet. Building a Energy grid will boost the max out put of that planet by 10% and another 10% once fully upgraded.

I am probably ignoring alot of math and details here but i sort of don't want to get ahead of myself and would like to hear the opinions and questions of others.

[Knight.R]

Originally posted by shorxrore:

so if a planet is devoted to energy it should be ALL energy grid?

That is impossible. the energy grid is planet unique.

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

ok now i get it :) [/quote]

Spends 10 minutes trying to come up with an apropriate reply ends up in the gutter .;_;

Oh well hope your question was answered :)

[Dr Duh]

I find early-mid game when I'm still building more or less balanced planets, I find the breakpoint where it's worth building the energy grid next is when I have at least three power plants (less with Betharian).

Although as soon as you're not strapped for minerals at all for building, it makes sense that the grid is your first energy building you put down once you have an admin building.

[cooltv27]

if you have 5 level 4 powerplants, you should build the energy grid (level 1) you should immediately build the energy nexus (level 2)
you should always build it if you have the upgrade that gives it 2 unity production

[galadon3]

You should ALWAYS build the Energy Grid/Nexus, the nexus provides the SAME amount of energy as the level 4 power planet PLUS the planetwide boost (+2 unity with the right tradition). So even if there is NO energy ressource on the Planet and you build only ONE energy building on the planet the energy nexus is better:

Planetary Capital: 6 energy + tier 4 power plant 6 energy = 12 Energy
Planetary Capital: 6 energy + energy nexus 6 energy = 12 Energy + 20% output = 14.4 Energy
And that doesnt take into account the possible unity-production from them

There is no breakpoint when it starts to pay building them.

EDIT: typos

[Ryika]

Originally posted by galadon3:

You should ALWAYS build the Energy Grid/Nexus

If you have both available, yes. Nexus unlocks after you already have Power Plant 4 though, if unlucky, with quite a large delay, and Grid alone does not automatically break even by just constructing it on an otherwise energyless planet.

[galadon3]

Originally posted by Ryika:

Originally posted by galadon3:

You should ALWAYS build the Energy Grid/Nexus

If you have both available, yes. Nexus unlocks after you already have Power Plant 4 though, if unlucky, with quite a large delay, and Grid alone does not automatically break even by just constructing it on an otherwise energyless planet.

thats why I wrote:

So even if there is NO energy ressource on the Planet and you build only ONE energy building on the planet the energy NEXUS is better:

The ALWAYS can be substituted for ON EVERY WORLD, should it make you feel better....
Any other hairs you like to split

[ZeratulR]

For energy grid there is a breakpoint in terms of minerals and it's pretty high. The 150 minerals energy grid (7,7 energy with planetary administration) costs can buy you power plant 1 and 2xbasic power plant (11 energy with planetary administration). If there are enough building slots, the exact breakpoint for the energy grid is... erm, 37 energy production already present on the planet or something close to that number. Early on minerals are much bigger issue than energy or empty slots on the planets and it's only worth it to get the grid on the already energy heavy planets or when you start to run out of space.

Nexus is different though (which is kinda weird btw, but that's a different story), it gives you more for the same amount of minerals even if it's the only energy building on the planet.

So, if you have the nexus technology, build it everywhere (especially since by the time you get to that tech you usually have more minerals than you can spend). If you only have the grid, only build it on the energy heavy planets or when you care about energy more than you care about minerals.

[galadon3]

Originally posted by ZeratulR:

For energy grid there is a breakpoint in terms of minerals and it's pretty high. The 150 minerals energy grid (7,7 energy with planetary administration) costs can buy you power plant 1 and 2xbasic power plant (11 energy with planetary administration). If there are enough building slots, the exact breakpoint for the energy grid is... erm, 37 energy production already present on the planet or something close to that number. Early on minerals are much bigger issue than energy or empty slots on the planets and it's only worth it to get the grid on the already energy heavy planets or when you start to run out of space.

1. The question of basic-powerplant or Power-Grid is totally academic, they cant be build at the same time, the basic powerplant is only available with the ship-shelter, the grid can only be built as soon as its upgraded.
2. Your example of pitching 3 power plants against 1 grid completely ignores the fact that it needs 3 times the workforce, wich is a really limiting factor on early game economy.
3. How early do you usually take the power grid tech??? By the time I can build them I usually dont have to worry about every single mineral anymore.
4. I have no idea what the math behind your "breakpoint is at 37 energyproduction" is, it surely isnt from comparing output. The worst there is what Ryika mentioned, a single tier 4 power plant produces 3 more energy then an energy grid.
Said powerplant needs a Planetary Capital wich produces 6 energy already, add the 3 from the grid its 9, thanks to the +10% bonus 9.9. That compares to 12 from capital+tier 4 plant, so its a difference of 2.1, thats the WORST case you can actually have (planet with NO energy-tile bonus used and NO adjacent bonus used for energy) and even then you need only 21 energy-income not 37 to make them even.
The Power Plant the grid USUALLY (thats an important word here for all the hair-splitters) has to compete with (other then the case Ryika made, wich is false by the way, the prereq-tech for the nexus is the grid-tech not the one for tier 4 powerplants: http://www.stellariswiki.com/Technology#Physics ) is the tier 2 power plant, wich is the max-plant for the planetary administration (same tier the grid needs)
The numbers there are
admin: 4E + T2PP: 4E = 8E
admin: 4E + grid: 3E + 10% of that =7.7E
So the difference is a WHOOOPING 0.3 energy, wich needs exactly ONE more powerplant. (or actually an energy-tilebonus of ONE and using one of the adjacent-bonus tiles for the grid)
5. Minor point, since its a question of choice: ignoring the fact that grid/nexus can produce unity too.

So yea I stand corrected: ALWAYS (wich by the way I already corrected to on every world in a way that its not meant in the way AT EVERY POINT IN THE GAME, but I guess I should have elaborated more on that since we seem to have lawyers around here) build it is wrong, there are some rare scenarios, as well as some that are only valid in situations you never face in the game, if you dont go to a certain length to create them under wich it isnt the optimum to build the grid.