crystall-punk-14/Resources/ServerInfo/Guidebook/Engineering/SolarPanels.xml

<Document>
  # Solar Panels
  Solar Panels are a low-maintenance passive power source that generates power from incoming sunlight.

  They are a renewable source of power that can be used to supplement generators in the station's power grid.
  This is extremely useful, as while most generators burn through some type of fuel in some form or fashion, solar panels generate power for free.

  <Box>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SolarPanel" Caption=""/>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SolarPanel"/>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SolarPanel" Caption=""/>
  </Box>

  ## Power Generation
  Solar panels generate power based on their relative angle to the sun, and if they are occluded by other objects.

  Because of this, you might see some panels generating 0 W of power, while others generate a lot more.
  This is because the station is occluding some panels, so don't worry about it too much.
  Most stations have solar arrays placed at all sides of the station, so there's always some power being generated.

  When directly facing the sun with no object occlusion, regular solar panels can generate [color=orange][protodata="SolarPanel" comp="SolarPanel" member="MaxSupply" format="N0"] W[/color] of power.

  Solar panels generate [color=orange]HV power[/color], and as such require an [color=orange]HV wire[/color] running underneath them to connect to the station's power grid.

  ## Power Bridge
  Solar panels might seem like an unnecessary power source at first glance.
  After all, we have this giant black hole in the center of the station.
  Why bother setting up solars when we can use that?

  It's ideal to set up solars alongside the [textlink="AME" link="AME"] for a few reasons:
  - Having active solar panels alongside the [textlink="AME" link="AME"] increases the runtime of the station's batteries significantly more than just the [textlink="AME" link="AME"] alone. This can buy engineers more time to setup bigger power sources.
  - Having active solar panels can reduce load on other grid producers. For example, if the solar arrays are producing enough power to satisfy half the station's needs, that is reflected in a reduced load on other engines, which can reduce the amount of fuel they burn.


  ## Adjusting Panels
  Because the station is orbiting a star, the sun's position in space changes over time.
  Solar panels need to be pointing straight at the sun to generate power efficiently, and they need to move over time to keep up with the sun's position.

  The angle at which solar panels face to can be adjusted at a Solar Control Computer.
  <Box>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="ComputerSolarControl"/>
  </Box>

  You can also adjust the rate at which the panels move to track the sun.

  The rate at which the sun moves around the station changes each shift, so time the sun's position and adjust the rate accordingly.

  The Solar Control Computer also reports on the total power generated by the solar panels.

  ## Construction

  Solar panels can be constructed by using two glass sheets on a solar assembly.
  <Box>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SolarAssembly" Caption=""/>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SheetGlass10" Caption=""/>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SolarPanel" Caption=""/>
  </Box>

  You can purchase solar assemblies from Cargo.

  ## Repairs
  Solar panels can sometimes be damaged, and require repair.

  <Box>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SolarPanelBroken"/>
  </Box>

  To fix them, you can use a crowbar to pry the broken glass shards out of the panel.
  Weld these glass shards into glass sheets, and then use them to make a new panel.

  <Box>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SolarPanelBroken" Caption=""/>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="Crowbar" Caption=""/>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="ShardGlass" Caption=""/>
  </Box>
  <Box>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="Welder" Caption=""/>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SheetGlass10" Caption=""/>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SolarAssembly" Caption=""/>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SolarPanel" Caption=""/>
  </Box>

  ## Setting Up Solar Panel Arrays
  Solar panel arrays are commonly found on the exterior of the station, and are used to generate large amounts of free power for the station.

  You can either spacewalk to them from the outside or you can run a loop through the station's maintenance tunnels to reach them.
  Solar array machine rooms are often marked with signs, and locked behind engineering access.
  <Box>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SignDirectionalSolar" Caption=""/>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="AirlockEngineering" Caption=""/>
  </Box>

  At the start of the shift solar panels are misaligned and disconnected from the grid.
  You will need to align them and connect them to the station's power grid to start generating power.

  This usually involves running a line of [color=orange]HV wire[/color] to the pannels from the solar array machine room, and then using a Solar Control Computer to align the panels.

  Solar array machine rooms frequently have a Solar Control Computer nearby, as well as an [textlink="SMES" link="PowerStorage"] to store the power generated by the panels for later use.

  ## Upgrading Solar Panels
  Solar panels can be upgraded to increase their power output.

  <Box>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SolarPanelPlasma" Caption=""/>
    <GuideEntityEmbed Entity="SolarPanelUranium" Caption=""/>
  </Box>

  This can be done by replacing the glass sheets in the solar assembly with plasma or uranium glass sheets.

  Plasma and Uranium solar panels generate [color=orange][protodata="SolarPanelPlasma" comp="SolarPanel" member="MaxSupply" format="N0"] W[/color] and [color=orange][protodata="SolarPanelUranium" comp="SolarPanel" member="MaxSupply" format="N0"] W[/color] of power respectively.
  They also are much tougher than regular solar panels.
</Document>