Steam vs Burner generator

[Isy]

Is it more efficient to use Steam than burner generator below 4 MW usage? because I notice the boiler burn through ignium ore faster than 2 burner generator at 1.9 MW usage.

[Mister Fabulous]

Sorry this is kind of a bump and you may already have your answer, but I recently got the game and have been playing with how power works.

So the combination of 1 boiler/turbine pair is equal 2 burners in terms of potential power output, but the burners treat the fuel value of its input as 80% of what it's worth. The boiler looks like it's just chowing down on ore because it's filling up the steam pipe and turbine's internal buffer, but then it will stop until there is room for more steam in the pipe. On average, even though it's turning on and off, it will consume less ore than 2 burners would.

It is more efficient to go with the boiler since it burns fuel at 100% efficiency. Burners need 25% more of a given fuel type per minute to generate an equal amount of power as a boiler/turbine pair does.

For some numbers, if a turbine had to output a constant full 3.6MW, the boiler would consume ignium ore at a rate of 21.6 ore/minute. One burner at full tilt would need 13.5 ore per minute, so double it for equal power output from 2 burners and combined they would consume 27 ore per minute.

That's pretty good savings on ore at the expense of running pipes and the large amount of space the boiler/turbine takes up, but unless you're pretending this is Techtonica and digging holes that's not a big deal

[Zefar]

I use 1 burner per Steam Turbine. I tried making so there where extra but the system just couldn't handle it.

But now I wish I went with Solar power earlier. I've spent up fields of Ignium and relying on it is a bad thing.


You should aim for Solar power + Batteries once you can build them. Just give them a large area and make it excessive. When you get large battery they are able to hold much more than a normal one.
It'll get to a point where it'll last you through the night without a problem.

[Keldrath]

I stopped using burners when I switched to boilers and the burners wouldn't even work unless the boilers weren't enough. Now it's mostly solar with some boilers to pick up slack.

[Stellar Remnant]

Originally posted by Isy:

Is it more efficient to use Steam than burner generator below 4 MW usage? because I notice the boiler burn through ignium ore faster than 2 burner generator at 1.9 MW usage.

the burner generator has 'efficiency: 80%' in its tooltip

[Dreepa]

What about using greenhouses for fuel for boilers? Anyone tried it?
What's the benefit?

[barbrady123]

Greenhouses net 1 bio a minute, so....yea I wouldn't recommend that.

[Stellar Remnant]

Originally posted by Dreepa:

What about using greenhouses for fuel for boilers? Anyone tried it?
What's the benefit?

they use 6MJ a minute to produce 5MJ/min of biomass

[AngryGiant]

Only thing I've seen for a use for greenhouses is a way to automate primitive explosives before you get the 2nd recipe. Not worth it for power. Maybe there will be something that uses biomass later on?

[Flowless]

you guys know you can burn canned fuel in the boilers right? i only use my ignium for steel right now, i have fully moved to the blue cans of fuel since i can make a ton of fuel from an oil node in massive quantities and i dont have to use much except one xenoferrite plate.

[Stellar Remnant]

Originally posted by Flowless:

you guys know you can burn canned fuel in the boilers right? i only use my ignium for steel right now, i have fully moved to the blue cans of fuel since i can make a ton of fuel from an oil node in massive quantities and i dont have to use much except one xenoferrite plate.

heh, funny story about that. I set up 300/min portable fuel absolute ages ago, but never actually started using it since I laid out a large solar grid first.

[Dreepa]

Originally posted by MiniHerc:

Originally posted by Dreepa:

What about using greenhouses for fuel for boilers? Anyone tried it?
What's the benefit?

they use 6MJ a minute to produce 5MJ/min of biomass

So what are they even good for if they use more energy than they produce?!

[Knsgf]

They're good for manufacturing recipes that use biomass (e.g. explosives).

[JimboTCB]

There's a much better alternative recipe for explosives which unlocks reasonably early, I wouldn't waste time on greenhouses just for that. Mostly they're there to give you a renewable source of biomass if you need it for decor and have already destroyed everything nearby.

[Racheloblade]

Doesn't the greenhouse also use mineral rock? So you exchange one finite resource for another.

[Stellar Remnant]

Originally posted by Racheloblade:

Doesn't the greenhouse also use mineral rock? So you exchange one finite resource for another.

mineral rock consumption for biomass is utterly negligible. also, mineral rock can become infinite resource later on