| Property | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Exterior Facilities |
| Category | Power |
| Energy Output | 1-8 energy/sec |
| Description | Generates energy from sunlight. Reduced output at night or in deep water. |
The Solar Panel is an energy-producing Exterior Facility used to power Seabases.
Recipe
The blueprint for the Solar Panel is unlocked when the Habitat Builder is unlocked.
| Crafted At | Ingredients | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Habitat Builder | * 1x Titanium<br>* 2x Quartz | 1x Solar Panel |
Appearance
The Solar Panel consists of a panel connected to a base by a support column.
The panel itself is a rectangular octagon with a blue square pattern and a white rim. There is a large notch in the middle of the panel, where a support column connects it to the base.
Purpose
Solar Panels provide 8 units of energy to connected Seabases during the Daytime when above 200m depth.
Unlike previous games, they also produce power at night, though at a reduced rate of roughly one-quarter of their daytime output.
They rotate based on the current time of day to face towards the suns. This is true even if the Solar Panel is placed below 200m and does not produce energy.
Databank Entry
Silicon photovoltaic cells transform sunlight into energy. Although less efficient than modern quantum dot cells, these entry-level panels can be fabricated with basic materials like quartz.
- Basic power supply for surface habitats
- Automatic sun tracking
- Reduced efficiency at night (depending on non-sun light sources)
- Reduced efficiency at depth, falling off to zero
Larger panel arrays combine more cells into a single rack.
Solar panels are philosophically attractive because they allow the colonist to function as an autotroph, creating their own energy directly from the sun instead of relying on other living or nonliving processes.
Do not attempt to power your habitat with a spotlight aimed at a solar panel. The universe forbids it.
Source: Construct a Solar Panel
