Efficient Solar Panel Placement

[Sacrieur]

So I've noticed that solar flowers are seemingly the undisputed champion of solar power efficiency. The wiki says that it wasn't until tin wires were other options really equally as good.

This is, to be frank, wrong.

Solar flowers were never the most efficient way to place more than five solar panels in any solar farm. Solar flowers themselves can grow in size, but their efficiency decreases as the number of wires increases. And due to the structure of solar flowers, tiling them is a hassle and is inefficient.

Three different kinds of solar array arrangements.

Up until five panels is the solar flower most efficient. Adding more requires an additional wire which can connect to no panels, and then two more wires can add six more panels. This is the 11-flower arrangement above, which has 11 panels and uses 4 wires.

An alternate flower arrangement involves tiling two flowers together, this 15-two-flower requires 7 wires.

A line arrangement becomes more efficient at six panels. With just four wires a total of 14 panels can be placed, and each consecutive piece of wire creates three addition places for panels. Perhaps more curiously, a line arrangement starts as a flower arrangement. This makes it easy to expand your solar array.

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So the linear configuration is always best after five panels.

Gallery:

49-Cross

16 Wires

1 Batbox

11-Flower

3 Wires

1 Batbox

17-Flower

7 Wires

1 Batbox

15-Two-Flower

6 Wires

1 Batbox

21-Two-Flower

8 Wires

1 Batbox

37-Circle

16 Wires

1 Batbox

[warpspeed10]

I try to use the less common forms of energy whenever possible. If I happen to stumble upon two ender pearls for a hydro electric plant, I'll go ahead and build that. If I'm in the mountains, I'll go ahead and throw up a few wind mills. If I happen upon a big lava lake, I usually take the extra time to pump it to the surface for geothermals. Solar panels, while expensive, aren't as much fun to play around with as the other generators. Have you ever tried to run your machines off biofule cells from your farm?

As to the linear solar layout, I agree, not only is it no less efficient than a flower, it also looks a whole lot nicer. It's nice to see someone actually using solar panels properly rather than magically smushing them down into a one block super panel.

[Xylord]

I try to use the less common forms of energy whenever possible. If I happen to stumble upon two ender pearls for a hydro electric plant, I'll go ahead and build that. If I'm in the mountains, I'll go ahead and throw up a few wind mills. If I happen upon a big lava lake, I usually take the extra time to pump it to the surface for geothermals. Solar panels, while expensive, aren't as much fun to play around with as the other generators. Have you ever tried to run your machines off biofule cells from your farm?

As to the linear solar layout, I agree, not only it it no less efficient than a flower, it also looks a whole lot nicer. It's nice to see someone actually using solar panels properly rather than magically smushing them down into a one block super panel.

I know right? Back on Technic battles, I wanted to make a nice, giant solar energy center with dozens of panels, but my other members kept bugging me about making it an array. And you know what was the result. XD

[warpspeed10]

I know right? Back on Technic battles, I wanted to make a nice, giant solar energy center with dozens of panels, but my other members kept bugging me about making it an array. And you know what was the result. XD

Lol, about that... sorry.

I've really gotta find more free time to get on the server. Been so busy lately.

[Xylord]

Lol, about that... sorry.

I've really gotta find more free time to get on the server. Been so busy lately.

College's started, so I'm not really there at all lately anyway.

OT, How many panels can you put together without losing all your energy due to cable loss, and using tin cables? I'd estimate 40*3+2=122, but I'm not sure if the fartest away panels will still send a noticeable quantity of energy; can packets go into decimals?

[Sacrieur]

You can extend it off of a batbox in two (even four) directions by however many ways you need.

That's a 37-cross configuration, only uses 12 wires.

[Michael101]

Have you ever tried to run your machines off biofule cells from your farm?

Last week I discovered that creosote oil capsules can be used in biogas engines at 4Mj/t. Since then I've been running my coke ovens thinking of the oil as the main product and the charcoal as the secondary product. (Though I do use the charcoal_dust mod to use the charcoal for solar panels...)

[Sacrieur]

Well the tradeoff of MOARSOLARARRAY is that you need bigger and better cables to handle the packet size, causing EU loss (acceptable to some). The sweet spot is when you hit glass fiber, which allows you to create a massive array of HV panels. But those cables are still mighty expensive, and so are the panels.

[OmegaJasam]

I think the point the wiki was making was before you could use more then 4 cables, getting the most panels per batbox area and limited length ment a lot of flowerlike designs unless you went with a lot of batboxes. Most of the ones you have there were flower/like/.

They have always been a few better designs though. Not sure why people still make em though, Theres days you have up to 40 length, really cheap tin cables, so it matters naught.

And no, packets don't go into the decimals in the case of solar panels. Every panel will send 1 or 0. the maximum potential area Is whatever 2D area you can get within 4 cable length of a batbox (if you use one batbox). That would be 61 panels if i counted right.

[SPGold]

After you have used 40 wires in each direction I would suggest compacting the solars into arrays.