Solar Panels IC2 Experimental -- Will this work?

[Bryantom]

I haven't posted a message in a few days so here goes:

Will the attached picture work if I keep going like this, or do I have to use the cluster set up that IC2 recommends. I'm thinking of an entire rooftop of solar panels on top of my tower but I want to check in first. The picture attached is just a quick set up to a machine.

Thanks,
Bryan

 

[casieg]

Been a while since I've played IC2, let's see what I can remember...

1. Every solar panel needs a cable connection, they don't transfer power between each other.
2. Copper cable can handle 32 eu/t but has a loss of 1 eu per 8 blocks. Your solar panels will be sending 1 eu packets down the line so you won't be getting anything after the 8 block cable run. Put a batbox down next to your solar array so it sends 32 eu packets and they'll make it inside with a 1 eu loss.

Now...I know they changed the energy system in experimental, but I think it just totals the packets/tick going through the cable. No more running oodles of power through copper cable because you're sending it all in 32 eu packets. Your copper cable can handle exactly one batbox sending power through it.

 

[Bickers]

Been a while since I've played IC2, let's see what I can remember...

1. Every solar panel needs a cable connection, they don't transfer power between each other.
2. Copper cable can handle 32 eu/t but has a loss of 1 eu per 8 blocks. Your solar panels will be sending 1 eu packets down the line so you won't be getting anything after the 8 block cable run. Put a batbox down next to your solar array so it sends 32 eu packets and they'll make it inside with a 1 eu loss.

Now...I know they changed the energy system in experimental, but I think it just totals the packets/tick going through the cable. No more running oodles of power through copper cable because you're sending it all in 32 eu packets. Your copper cable can handle exactly one batbox sending power through it.

im fairly sure loss on cables were removed also packets are combined now but cable/machine explosions are disabled anyway

 

[asb3pe]

I dunno if there is power loss in IC2 cables or not anymore. I operated under the assumption that there was (worst-case scenario).

Basic idea for IC2 power distribution/transmission is that you want to minimize the EU loss per meter (per block) of cable. The lowest-loss cable is the Glass Fibre cable, at 1 EU/m loss.

You can just used Glass Fibre everywhere and with each Solar emitting 2048 EU/t on a sunny day, who is really gonna notice if you lose a few EU's along the way?

However, let's say you need to send power over a long distance and the losses really add up... what you need to do is use a IC2 Transformer block and "step-up" your power supply to 8192 EU/t. Four solar panels at 2048 EU/t into one EV Transformer will result in an output of 8192 EU/t. Now you use your glass fibre cable to send the power to wherever it is needed. At the other end of the line, you place another EV Transformer, this time in step-down mode, and that will output four "packets" of 2048 EU/t, which you can then use to power your stuff normally - and don't forget, you have four packets every tick, so this can run four machines requiring 2048 EU/t each (like the Replicators).

So it really doesn't matter how you lay your stuff out. I put each of my solars right down on top of an MFSU, then I just connect all the MFSU's up. The solars keep each of the MFSU "batteries" charged up with a 40 million EU reserve of power to draw from, just an enormous power reserve. Far more than I think anyone could possibly use in Infinity modpack given the limited usage for IC2/EU power in the pack.

Oh, I should add that the person above is correct, you just need to run a cable to touch each solar panel in your image. They will transfer power to an MFSU below them with no cable needed, but they won't transfer power thru the other solar panels to get to the cable connection.

 

[Bryantom]

Thanks. So the only solar panel putting out power in my picture is the one that is connected to the copper cable. I connected a recycler to the cable and it ran fine. So the recycler was getting enough power from just one solar panel?

Bryan

 

[asb3pe]

Thanks. So the only solar panel putting out power in my picture is the one that is connected to the copper cable. I connected a recycler to the cable and it ran fine. So the recycler was getting enough power from just one solar panel?

Yep, most likely. The solars are pretty unbalanced. LOL Once you have a few, you can make a few more, then you can make even more, and pretty soon, you have a stack of the highest-tier solar panels and you have more power than you could ever hope to use.

I've heard people say they remove the solar panel mod completely, because it basically renders all IC2 power generation machines obsolete very quickly. Why use 32 EU/t Semi-Fluid generators if you can pretty easily make solar panels that can output 10 times that much? Or even 100 times that much? For me, I love the solar panels mod, the regular generators are just too much clutter, you have to go hunt for oil and refine it to fuel, etc.

You should be able to right click the "GUI" for each Solar Panel block and you can see if there is any activity. Sometimes its difficult to tell tho, such as if I'm feeding 2048 EU/t into an MFSU at the same time I'm pulling 2048 EU/t out the other side... the GUI will show no change in the power level of course, it won't be going up or down, it will just be showing a seemingly random number for power storage. It's hard to explain with words, but once you've used IC2 long enough I'm pretty sure you'll understand what I mean.

 

[Bryantom]

Yep, most likely. The solars are pretty unbalanced. LOL Once you have a few, you can make a few more, then you can make even more, and pretty soon, you have a stack of the highest-tier solar panels and you have more power than you could ever hope to use.

I've heard people say they remove the solar panel mod completely, because it basically renders all IC2 power generation machines obsolete very quickly. Why use 32 EU/t Semi-Fluid generators if you can pretty easily make solar panels that can output 10 times that much? Or even 100 times that much? For me, I love the solar panels mod, the regular generators are just too much clutter, you have to go hunt for oil and refine it to fuel, etc.

You should be able to right click the "GUI" for each Solar Panel block and you can see if there is any activity. Sometimes its difficult to tell tho, such as if I'm feeding 2048 EU/t into an MFSU at the same time I'm pulling 2048 EU/t out the other side... the GUI will show no change in the power level of course, it won't be going up or down, it will just be showing a seemingly random number for power storage. It's hard to explain with words, but once you've used IC2 long enough I'm pretty sure you'll understand what I mean.

I made one cluster, and connected it to a bat box. It took a while for it to fill the bat box. If I connect the bat box to an MFE or MFSU though, the bat box will never fill with energy because the MFU will slurp up the energy as soon as it is made. Quesion: should I connect a bat box to each solar cluster?