Overview
This guide explains how to site, build, operate, and maximize potential of solar-powered bases.
Guide to Solar.
I’m writing this because there is a lot of talk about how people cant get their bases to run on solar power, or they are running poorly. This is not a be-all to end all, and if there are any suggestions please put them into the box below.
1 Location Location Location. . . Like any good real estate, a solar powered base is often hindered or enhanced by where you put it. Each planet has its own solar intensity that is not visible. Also, take special note that its independent from its appearance. (ex a desert planet may only have a fraction of the potential a frozen planet may or vice-versa) To figure it out, I often set up a test base. This consists of 15 panels orientated towards the sun in the MoST efficient manner possible. If in midday the wattage (pu output) is above 1.5k PU, on a planet, you are in a pretty good position. Modded planets may even have axial tilt (means that one pole vs the other gets more sunlight or gets all sun) It would be wise to build a solar base near that pole. In more extreme situations, some planets are modded so they produce MORE solar power at night. That is why I suggest that you also check the output at midnight. Weather counts! If you are on a planet that is constantly foggy or cloudy, you will never achieve maximum solar potential.
In space, there are both other challenges and advantages. The biggest advantage is that the sun never sets, so you can constantly draw power. Solar intensity in space is dictated however by how close to the center star you are, so if you are located 100 au from the sun, your output will be a fraction of someone whom is only 10 AU. With version 12, there are new suns in solar systems each with their own solar values, so you will have to explore around a bit to find the best place to set up your base. General rule though, closer to the sun the better.
2 Base location and terrain. If your object is to build a solar-powered base, you are not going to want to build it in a valley where mountains rob your capacitors of morning and evening charges. Orient your core or prefab base, then site your solar panels. If there are trees, rocks, or even a hill, you may need to chop them down. In space, you want to face the sun, level out your core or prefab then place. Preferably unobstructed from asteroids or away from the shadow of the planet or its moon. You also want to avoid low-lying areas that have perpetual haze or mist about them. Also, Important note if you park ships on or obstructing solar panels it does negatively affect them. The panels themselves have 2 pairs of LED on them. Green LED means position of the panel being the best. Yellow LED are environmental factors (night, cloud cover, fog etc) Higher numbers are better.
3 Solar panels – Angle counts. As explained, the angle of your solar panels does count, Even the slope 1,2,3 often give off different amounts of solar energy from each other. Its important to look at the sun. If it is passing east-west, but to the north or south, you will often be better off using sloped panels that slope north or south towards the sun. If it passes directly overhead, its best to use flat panels. How I do this is during midday, I place a capacitor and 1 panel then check the power. I then take it down and place another shape. (especially on slopes) I do this until I found the best slope and angle. Remember, rotation of the block is not a crime.
In space. this is a lot easier especially if you built the base correct. Put panels that face the sun. Sloping will still count, so you will have to experiment with best angle/slope. If you’re centered towards the sun, you will only have to worry about up/down slope not left right angles.
4 Capacitor reserves Once your base is established, its good to dedicate a spot to put in what I call the “battery bank” It consists of multiple capacitors to store solar energy. This is even more important on a dedicated server where they will charge if you are offline. SPECIAL NOTE! Current version is bugged, so before you log off, halt all constructors/food processors. Otherwise, they may drain your capacitors and cause power outages to your base while logged off.
5 Build within your means… In alpha 7, solar panels were badly glitched and were only giving off about 48pu for a full array. In this turmoil. I still managed to build farms that were completely self-sufficient. They were not big, and consisted of 3 lights, 1 o2 tank, 1 ventilator, 1 core, 1 door. (46/48 PU but in space) Currently, we do not have this problem, but you still need to be mindful to build a base that is within your means. If your midday solar potential is 1,500 pu, when your base is at rest, you want to keep that below 150-300pu. This way, your capacitors can recharge and take on the load of when high drain devices are running.
6 Eliminate “ghost loads” A ghost load is anything running that is consuming power, but you dont need or actively use. The MoST notorious candidate for this is the repair station. This wonderful device alone sucks 150 pu when on. However by shutting it off, it drops to nothing. Other big ones are excessive oxygen tanks. If you are on a planet with breathable oxygen, scrap all ventilators in your base. If you do not have an Oxygen station, get rid of all air tanks too. Keep in mind, when placing tanks, the fewer the better. Use those bigger tanks, because each fuel tank regardless of size drains 1 pu and each oxygen tank regardless of size drains 5 pu. When you are not using constructors or food processors shut them off. When fridges have nothing in them shut them off. Get rid of decorations that drain power. Turn off repair pads when not in use. More will be spoken about repair pads at the end of this guide.
7 Compartmentalize…. In EGS any reputable server has a block limit which will will limit number of certain blocks you can place. This is not a bad thing, because especially on pvp servers, people used to build SVs with 50 rocket launchers and blast holes through ships in one salvo. Sadly, when they limited the weapon counts, they also limited things like how many solar panels you can place. Consequentially, you will be limited to 15 solar panels in the current build. There is however a way to get more power. That is to build other bases in a complex. I typically build these in space, or on some flat area *cough lakes* I get them as close as possible and connect them by bridges and ramps. The advantage of this is now I have multiple bases that can produce the power I need. I usually break them up into “workshop” (all my constructors are in these) Gardens (Only gardens and food processors live here) Incinerators (Furnaces) and Drydock (Large oxygenated, climate-controlled area used for repairing, modifying, and building ships)
8. On Repair pads. Finally Repair pads… They’re nice, but they suck a LOT of power (25,000 PU when active) To run a single repair bay for 1 hour, you’ll need 32 fully charged capacitors. For this reason, I only put repair bays in a drydock or/and a dedicated repair base. If you run it on one base PLEASE make sure you a backup T1/T2 generator that has fuel tanks enough to power your base.