Solar panel

Solar panels are a power generation building that produces electricity only during the day. Because they stop output at night, they are usually paired with accumulators, which store excess daytime power and discharge it after sunset. This makes solar power a clean and fully automated way to run a base without consuming fuel.

A common alternative is to design parts of the factory so they do not need night-time power at all. For example, mining and smelting outposts can be connected to a separate electrical network sized to work only during the day, with production buffers handling the downtime at night. This is often cheaper than storing enough energy to keep the entire factory running continuously.

The exact solar-to-accumulator ratio depends on both building quality and the planet where the panels are placed. On Nauvis, a normal-quality solar panel averages 42 kW over a full day and needs about 0.84672 accumulators per solar panel to sustain constant output through the night. A widely used rule of thumb is 25 solar panels to 21 accumulators for roughly 1 MW of continuous power, or the slightly simpler 6 solar panels to 5 accumulators.

• On Nauvis, the optimal normal-quality ratio is 3125 solar panels to 2646 accumulators.
• To keep 1 MW running through the night on Nauvis, it takes about 23.8 solar panels to produce the power and 20.2 accumulators to store it.
• The optimal ratio changes on other planets, including Vulcanus, Gleba, Fulgora, and Aquilo.
• The ratio shown for a planet assumes normal accumulator quality; higher accumulator qualities reduce the number needed, with the ratio divided by 2/3/4/6 for uncommon, rare, epic, and legendary accumulators respectively.

Solar power is especially useful when the goal is to eliminate fuel logistics and reduce pollution from power generation. Its main limitation is that it requires enough surface area for panels and accumulators, and the factory must be planned around day-night cycles unless backed by another power source.