Options for base load power generation

[Ieldra]

I'm building a new base. I like my old one, but its organic growth resulted in inefficiency and lag. So I'm planning a new one, now with all the resources from a few weeks of playing available.

And I'm thinking of different ways to produce base load power. i.e. the power that runs critical infrastructure like the ME network, which will never be shut down except in a dire emergency. Ideally, the system should have the following attributes:

(1) As near to 100% reliability as it's possible to get.
(2) As near to being 100% maintenance-free as it's possible to get.
(3) Few moving parts and little need to move stuff around in order for it to function.
(4) 100% renewability.
(5) Should probide up to 5.5MW or about 1000 RF/t.
(6) Should be located near my base, ideally be part of it.

So far my solar towers fulfil (1) to (5) but they're located off-world, while my tree farm/steam boiler/steam dynamo setup fulfils everything but (3). It depends on the LP system it is maintaining to work.

So, I'm actually set up nicely and could use what I have for my new base. But I'm always looking for perfection. Is it possible?

 

[KingTriaxx]

A full size Rotarycraft Solar Tower generates about 919RF/t. Or a Passively Cooled Big Reactor could probably do the trick if you build it right and large enough.

 

[Ieldra]

A full size Rotarycraft Solar Tower generates about 919RF/t.

I know. I have several of them running, each generating 5.175 MW. The thing is, they're located offworld in a Mystcraft age and need to be in order to provide constant power. It is a good solution but not an ideal one.

 

[Adonis0]

You need, a big reactor, and two/three pieces of MFR rednet cable (depending on your aesthetic)

Big reactors have a block called a rednet port, and if you get two of them and wire them together with your pieces of cable, you can set one to emit the internal buffer level, and another to adjust the control rods (aka power output) according to input.

Therefore you've got a reactor that will scale to your power usage automatically.

Build it big and over the top, because they get more efficient the bigger you build it.

 

[Ieldra]

Last I looked, Big Reactors' reactors do not fulfil the requirement "100% renewable power". Has that changed?

 

[Adonis0]

Last I looked, Big Reactors' reactors do not fulfil the requirement "100% renewable power". Has that changed?

Sort of.. >.>

In combination with MFR, yes. As it's possible to power a laser drill with (I want to say yellow foci, but not sure) to get more yellorium (the consumable for Big reactors) than you put in to produce that power.

EDIT: I don't know for sure, because I"m using AgS modpack, and they've added in a recipe for Yellorium which I'm currently using

To know how efficient they get, mine current design is consuming an ingot of yellorium every 16 minutes, producing 5k RF/t and producing a total of 100M RF/Ingot.*

*Subject to power configuration changes between packs

 

[Ieldra]

Sort of.. >.>

In combination with MFR, yes. As it's possible to power a laser drill with (I want to say yellow foci, but not sure) to get more yellorium (the consumable for Big reactors) than you put in to produce that power.

It appears likely the MFR laser drill requires more energy than you'll ever get out of the resources you mine with it....

 

[b0bst3r]

It helps if we knew which modpack you're playing?

 

[Ieldra]

It helps if we knew which modpack you're playing?

This is DW20 1.6.4 v1.0.23 with some mods from Monster 1.1.2 added, including RotaryCraft and its addons, EnderIO and Magical Crops. I'm willing to add more mods from Monster since adding them has so far proven unproblematic.

 

[netmc]

Well, for renewable power it is rather hard to beat a tree farm.[DOUBLEPOST=1402922071][/DOUBLEPOST]

This is DW20 1.6.4 with some mods from Monster 1.1.2 added, including RotaryCraft and its addons, EnderIO and Magical Crops. I'm willing to add more mods from Monster since adding them has so far proven unproblematic.

I if you have magical crops, you could just grow your coal, or use the rotary craft steam engine overt some netherrack.

 

[malicious_bloke]

Well, for renewable power it is rather hard to beat a tree farm.[DOUBLEPOST=1402922071][/DOUBLEPOST]

I if you have magical crops, you could just grow your coal, or use the rotary craft steam engine overt some netherrack.

If you're using magical crops to power your base, you'd likely get more power out of a BigReactor than you would from coal/wood/whatever.

 

[Ieldra]

Remember I'm not asking for more power at this point, but for more reliable power. That means, as few transportation steps as possible, and as few processing steps as possible. One possible alternative to off-world solar power I've thought of is an Ender Pearl farm powering Extra Utilities Ender generators. That's something that wouldn't have been possible earlier in the game. Hmm....12 Ender generators would require one Ender pearl every two minutes. If the seeds mature in two hours, I'd need a farm of 60 Ender Lilies. That should definitely be achieveable given that I have 49 planted already.. Not quite as simple as solar power, but one processing step and two machines less than a tree farm/steam boiler/steam dynamo setup.

 

[Omegatron]

It appears likely the MFR laser drill requires more energy than you'll ever get out of the resources you mine with it....

Depends on the reactor design, there's a big reactor fuelled by a laser drill as part of this.

 

[MrCowle]

There was a tutorial on youtube by someone in the attack of the b-team modpack who made a tree farm that you could basically encase in stone (with space for the trees) and get tons of power. The amount of power you get would depend on how many steam dynamos you add. a redstone furnace converts the wood into charcoal, and the trees grow at a fast enough rate that eventually all of the dynamos will be full. However, it does take awhile to get enough charcoal to fill the dynamos, but you can have as much power as your resources allow.
Also, it uses only MFR and TE.

 

[Wagon153]

You can grow uranium with Magical Crops, so uranium would be a renewable resource.

 

[Ieldra]

There was a tutorial on youtube by someone in the attack of the b-team modpack who made a tree farm that you could basically encase in stone (with space for the trees) and get tons of power. The amount of power you get would depend on how many steam dynamos you add. a redstone furnace converts the wood into charcoal, and the trees grow at a fast enough rate that eventually all of the dynamos will be full. However, it does take awhile to get enough charcoal to fill the dynamos, but you can have as much power as your resources allow.
Also, it uses only MFR and TE.

Hehe....I have 12k charcoal as surplus from my existing steam power setup. This sounds interesting, but still one step more involved - to say nothing of the space required - than using an Ender Pearl Farm and Ender generators. BTW, will trees grow at all if there's no sky?

 

[MrCowle]

Hehe....I have 12k charcoal as surplus from my existing steam power setup. This sounds interesting, but still one step more involved - to say nothing of the space required - than using an Ender Pearl Farm and Ender generators. BTW, will trees grow at all if there's no sky?

What do you mean by no sky? In the overworld, as long as there is space for the tree to grow and there is light, the tree can grow.

 

[Ieldra]

You said "encased in stone". That means there is a roof and no sunlight. I was wondering if artificial lighting can make trees grow, considering that I've never seen any underground trees.

 

[MrCowle]

You said "encased in stone". That means there is a roof and no sunlight. I was wondering if artificial lighting can make trees grow, considering that I've never seen any underground trees.

Yes, as long as there is space, light (artificial or natural), and dirt for the saplings, the trees will grow.

 

[KingTriaxx]

Is your base near a river? If so, Engineer's Toolbox has a hydro electric generator that can be plugged into it's sockets and then you build those into a hydro electric dam. It'll provide continuous free energy for you. Only works in a River Biome, but each one produces 10 RF/t. Plus you can coat the top layer on the surface with Solar gen for more power. Plus at full power, each socket stores 5000 RF, so any time you're over the maximum usage, it starts storing power. Plus each one can accept an upgrade for it's storage amount.