Solar panel

Solar panels are a renewable power generation building that produce electricity only during daytime. They form the core of solar-only or hybrid power systems and are typically paired with accumulators when round-the-clock power is required. Solar panels produce a steady, predictable output that varies over the day according to the solar efficiency curve for the current surface (planet/biome).

Because they are day‑only producers, solar panels are commonly used in two distinct strategies. The first is a dedicated power network where solar panels charge accumulators during the day; the accumulators then supply the base at night. The second is an energy-less approach that avoids night consumption by overproducing the goods or resources during daytime and storing those items rather than storing electrical energy. For example, a daytime-only network of electric mining drills and furnaces can be sized so that it produces surplus plates during the day and is shut off at night while the main factory consumes the stored plates.

Practical numbers and ratios:

• A single normal‑quality solar panel on Nauvis delivers an average of 42 kW over a full day cycle. That average is useful for planning long-term supply but solar output is zero at night and peaks during midday.
• To sustain a continuous power draw through the night, one normal accumulator must be charged; on Nauvis a single normal solar panel requires about 0.84672 accumulators to provide the same constant output through the night. A common rule of thumb derived from these values is 6 solar panels : 5 accumulators (≈0.83 accumulators per panel).
• Scaling to larger loads: approximately 23.8 solar panels are needed to supply 1 MW of factory during the day, and about 20.2 accumulators are needed to sustain that 1 MW through the night. Practically this is often rounded to 25 solar panels : 21 accumulators to cover inefficiencies and provide some margin.
• The mathematically exact optimal ratio of accumulators per solar panel depends on solar panel and accumulator quality and the planetary solar intensity. The published optimal example for normal-quality panels and normal accumulators on Nauvis is 3125 solar panels : 2646 accumulators (equivalent to the 42 kW per panel baseline). When using accumulators of higher or lower quality, divide the published ratio by the appropriate quality factor (for example, by 2 for uncommon, 3 for rare, 4 for epic, 6 for legendary) to get the correct accumulator count.

Design and placement tips:

• Keep solar+accumulator networks on a separate electrical grid if you intend to implement the “store goods not energy” strategy; isolating that network prevents night loads on the main base from drawing down the stored charge or interfering with daytime overproduction.
• Use the solar efficiency curve (day/night cycle) to position production that is tolerant of downtime: smelting and mining are good candidates for daytime buffering, while essential services should remain connected to a continuous power network if you rely on non-solar generation.
• Because exact optimal ratios depend on planet and item qualities, compute ratios from the solar panel’s day-average output and accumulator charge capacity for precise large-scale builds; the provided rules of thumb are sufficient for most mid‑game factories.

Solar panels are straightforward to deploy and scale. Their predictable daily profile enables robust, low-maintenance power systems when combined with accumulators or with production buffering strategies that avoid night consumption.