The Best Power Source

[kaovalin]

I mainly mean this: Solar is boring... Assuming that it's using Photovoltaic Cells. A Real solar power plant uses a Solar Boiler, using mirrors to reflect sunlight onto a central boiling tower, where the water in it becomes steam and is sent through turbines to generate power. And since the only options out there that currently use solar boilers are Factorization(and they have been somewhat phased out due to the new "stomach water boiler"), and RotaryCraft(where it becomes Shaft Power and manliness), this is why solar power is lame; everyone sticks with photovoltaic cells. And those are boring as hell.

I guess I just disagree, especially that photovoltaic isnt real somehow. Solar is the power of space stuff, and space stuff is really cool. IMO its the correct energy source for small remote, isolated things, but big things are best powered by more complex forms of power similar to what you mentioned. I ascribe to a diversity of power rather than relying on any one thing. Eventually the novelty of power generation is overcast by the usage of said power, which is again overcast by the things built with the things that require power.

I'm just defending what I think is a legit power option that just needs some better care in making the output relative to other forms of power better. Lameness depends on what about it you think is lame. I think causing 400% more ticks on the server for the same output is lame. I also think novelty of builds can wear off even if creative at the time. Eventually power just gets put into a black box that turns into "I get X energy/t with X stored in a buffer". That's just me though so I cant speak for everyone.

Currently I'm running what most would feel is a boring/OP sourced by a enderthermic pump pumping nether lava. Never did it before. In fact on my 1.4.7 server I ran my base on 4x GT fusion ractors, prior to that extrabees making biofuel/oil(which I turned to fuel), prior to that it was semi complex tree farm using lots of routers and barrels for buffers. Come to think of it, I havent used the same power source twice now. I think that's pretty not lame of me

 

[Reika]

I guess I just disagree, especially that photovoltaic isnt real somehow. Solar is the power of space stuff, and space stuff is really cool. IMO its the correct energy source for small remote, isolated things, but big things are best powered by more complex forms of power similar to what you mentioned. I ascribe to a diversity of power rather than relying on any one thing. Eventually the novelty of power generation is overcast by the usage of said power, which is again overcast by the things built with the things that require power.

I'm just defending what I think is a legit power option that just needs some better care in making the output relative to other forms of power better. Lameness depends on what about it you think is lame. I think causing 400% more ticks on the server for the same output is lame. I also think novelty of builds can wear off even if creative at the time. Eventually power just gets put into a black box that turns into "I get X energy/t with X stored in a buffer". That's just me though so I cant speak for everyone.

Currently I'm running what most would feel is a boring/OP sourced by a enderthermic pump pumping nether lava. Never did it before. In fact on my 1.4.7 server I ran my base on 4x GT fusion ractors, prior to that extrabees making biofuel/oil(which I turned to fuel), prior to that it was semi complex tree farm using lots of routers and barrels for buffers. Come to think of it, I havent used the same power source twice now. I think that's pretty not lame of me

I can tell you from experience that photovoltaics suck. They are like 17% efficient, costly, heavy, fragile, finicky, degrade with time, only work in direct sunlight, and are easily damaged if tried to be used in the dark.

 

[kaovalin]

I can tell you from experience that photovoltaics suck. They are like 17% efficient, costly, heavy, fragile, finicky, degrade with time, only work in direct sunlight, and are easily damaged if tried to be used in the dark.

How are they damaged by darkness exactly? Everything degrades with time and weight is high when you ignore the weight of fuel required in comparison with other generators. Definitely agree with everything else though, not to mention they dont do well with a variety of weather factors.

 

[Reika]

How are they damaged by darkness exactly? Everything degrades with time and weight is high when you ignore the weight of fuel required in comparison with other generators. Definitely agree with everything else though, not to mention they dont do well with a variety of weather factors.

Their resistance rises greatly in the dark; if you try to run a string partly lit, the current from the active ones heats up and burns out the dark ones, killing the whole string.

So if your solar panel is partly shaded (such as behind an antenna), you can lose a large portion of the panel.

 

[SinisterBro :3]

Their resistance rises greatly in the dark; if you try to run a string partly lit, the current from the active ones heats up and burns out the dark ones, killing the whole string.

So if your solar panel is partly shaded (such as behind an antenna), you can lose a large portion of the panel.

Inb4 Reika makes a realistic solar power mod.

 

[Reika]

Inb4 Reika makes a realistic solar power mod.

I do not wish to cause insanity from frustration.

 

[epidemia78]

Right now I am using compression dynamos running on buildcraft fuel and water. I WAS planning on using combusion engines because I like the animations but I had to put those engines in a chest because the RF to MJ thing doesnt work the opposite way around. But now I know ender IO can transfer the two so Ill probably switch over soon. So my answer to this question is-engines running on something.

After that, Ill try to set up an overly complex system based on alumentum and golems filling the engines. Id like to get as much animation going on as possible so Im not doing away with those refineries, Ill fit them in somewhere.

 

[keybounce]

Ok, something mentioned in this thread makes me wonder.

Can anyone actually use all the energy from one of Reika's Tokamaks?

 

[YX33A]

Ok, something mentioned in this thread makes me wonder.

Can anyone actually use all the energy from one of Reika's Tokamaks?

Even if you're using a portion of the neutron output to at least break even on heavy water usage, and using a portion of the shaft power to process heavy water into usable fuel...
Not likely all of it.

 

[kilteroff]

To this day it bugs me that I've never set up a Factorization "solar cone". Someone did it on Forgecraft a few seasons back, Elo or Mattabase I think. I might actually do it now that silver isn't an issue, hooray for Extractors <3

 

[Dark Of The Moon]

I wonder how many giant force fields you could run with one of the Tokamaks.

 

[Zenthon_127]

I wonder how many giant force fields you could run with one of the Tokamaks.

Given the power cost on those things....about 0.03.

 

[Dark Of The Moon]

I had 64 magmatic dynamos using lava being pulled from the Nether, with a force field 30x16x12 that only turned on at night, and I was still running out of power for the force field. This force field only had the modules to get it that size, and a shock module. It was also the only thing being powered by the dynamos.

 

[YX33A]

I had 64 magmatic dynamos using lava being pulled from the Nether, with a force field 30x16x12 that only turned on at night, and I was still running out of power for the force field. This force field only had the modules to get it that size, and a shock module. It was also the only thing being powered by the dynamos.

Maybe you need to look into storing some fortron in a tank if you're using that much fortron. By the sounds of it, you're running the dynamos 24/7, yes? I'd assume that since you didn't say you weren't.
It can help you make your field last longer by allowing you to store the energy and use it when needed. Also its really cool to have giant RC Steel Tanks full of the stuff.

 

[Dark Of The Moon]

You can store fortron in steel tanks?

 

[YX33A]

You can store fortron in steel tanks?

It's a liquid, so... yeah.

 

[kaovalin]

You can store fortron in steel tanks?

You can overclock the coersion derrivers if you havent already to increase output. You may just not be producing enough fortron to keep up despite having the RF/t to create it. This is also fixable with increased storage as mentioned up to a point if you only power it during the day. Btw do you use dome? I believe that might be more affordable.

Maybe also upgrade your dynamos to ExtraUtil heated restone generators running on unstable redstone liquid from TE3. Puts out 320RF/t each. Use the lava power to power the mob grinder that powered a witch farm that gives you redstone. There is also the redstone you can get from those upside down nether trees in BoP. Just some possibilities to consider.

 

[Dark Of The Moon]

How exactly would I go about doing this? I can't get to my laptop right now to experiment.

 

[Padfoote]

How exactly would I go about doing this? I can't get to my laptop right now to experiment.

IIRC, and if this isn't outdated info, you use lapis to overclock, and the fortron can be directly pumped out with some sort of pipe.

 

[Dark Of The Moon]

I need to go do that.