Solar panels and solar power
ruangiSR
Join Date: 2015-02-17 Member: 201406Members
Join Date: 2015-02-17 Member: 201406Members
Comments
A bit picky but it is a pitfall to be sure
This is true, but this problem occurs day or night, and solar power won't help during the night. To solve your problem needs a slightly different solution.
Maybe make a solar charger for cells, so you can charge any empty cells you have automatically when you are at the correct depth?
This potentially means you can charge additional batteries during the day, as well as recharging any that run out, but doesn't solve the issue of having to carry power cells.
So many potential solutions, but the key is too find the right one, that enables loss of power to not be so harmful, but at the same time keeps power as a meaningful requirement.
Long story short: primary power generation has to come before rechargeable batteries, as frustrating as it is >.<
- Solar arrays can be built for bases above 200m (or some depth that still gets lots of sunlight). They're expensive though.
- Nuclear generators or some type of fusion for deep water bases. Really expensive but beats having to change power cells over time.
- Life pod has permanent solar power that gradually recharges the batteries to 20% (it never gets to 0%)
- Cyclops and everything else require power cells/batteries. Rechargeable battery module can be researched later in the game that slowly charges dead power cells. Check back once and a while to switch dead ones for recharged ones.
That said, power sources should charge rechargeable batteries/cores directly as an exchange, much how the generators allow exchanges (and can only be removed when the charge is 100%). Whether it's solar, hydroelectric current turbines, or geothermal, it makes sense. I have to argue against an interior 'base module' because 'base modules' can be built in the cyclops. Ergo: Charging power cells with power cells. No bueno.
Not to say I wouldn't mind ripping out the solar panel on the lifepod and putting it on the Cyclops. Cruising without needing power cores is OK in my book. You'd need to be pretty shalllow for solar panels to work, however. Diffusion of light is a pretty heinous thing to deal with, so the less matter between you and the sun, the better, thus, very shallow depths (less than 20).
Theoretical Example: A base-grade solar panel has six 'core charging slots' that recharges one depleted power cell per day each. You could insert a discharged core (obviously a rechargeable) into an empty slot or remove a fully charged core. A 'Current turbine' could charge two per day, while a geothermal could charge three. Theoretical tech upgrades could double the recharge speeds of the latter two, but solar is more of a backup than anything. Power suppliers charging cores AND are hooked up to a base that's running power-intensive equipment recharges cells slower if its capacity is not exceeded.
Batteries are another matter, and I don't see a problem with a 'battery charger' on the cyclops or bases for the seaglide and other hand-tools.
But, I understand the need for balance, for lack of a better word
There are only two criteria for establishing a sensible base of operation: Proximity to Food and Proximity to Power. If you're building in the boondocks, don't complain when you gotta spend an hour travelling to recharge batteries or find edible fish. With the ideas about fish-farming in the think-tank, that leaves proximity to power sources. Thus, no chore/fetchquest to pick up fresh power cells.
Proximity to locations is a benefit, as is scenery, but functionally speaking, live close to your core needs.
that also wasnt meant to be a complaint, but I suppose such things are interpreted subjectively so no point arguing
I just think recharging in games in general is dull
Yeah that is indeed a problem. Perhaps the first time you build a Cyclops it should guide you to an internal locker room and give the player a free welder, with a little spiel about using it for repairs
And a video game lol
l do agree with the fact (YES, FACT :P ) that tidal energy conversion would be awesome
Solar panels do work under water, but you are right about the inefficiency. Compared to the surface, only a small part of the sunlight reaches the solar cell in the water, so it is reasonable to restrict solar cell usage to depths under 30m. At this point, a solar cell would maybe produce 10% of the possible power at most. It doesn't matter if it's a hypothetical far-future solar cell. My idea would be to install floating solar panels on the surface that either recharge power packs or power an underwater base through a cable. Solar panels on the cyclops would be unreasonable in my opinion, unless you frequently park it on the surface.
Tidal generators would be useless because there are no tides in the middle of an ocean. Well, there are, but they are much smaller than on shores and very slow, so they are unuseable for power generation. Water current turbines are a better idea, but they would only work well in deep and wide areas. That would be awesome to see though because it would be dangerous to access them, but they would give a good amount of power in reward. Maybe a cable should be implemented with them so you can connect them with your base.
Finally, atomic/fusion reactors in sea bases would be cool, but totally unnecessary for the little amount of used power. There is nothing that consumes a lot of power right now apart of the submarines. The cyclops is big enough for a reactor to make sense in it, but not in the seabase because the power transfer would be stupid. Powering the cyclops with a makeshift mushroom battery seems stupid to me as well.
A possible idea that would justify a reactor in the seabase is a high-tech base module that electrolyzes sea water into hydrogen and oxygen, then you could use the oxygen in the air conditioner (nobody ever thought about fresh air in the seabase?) and the hydrogen as fuel for the fusion reactor (i should get a nobel prize for this invention). The rest of the oxygen and hydrogen could be stored in tanks and the cyclops could dock at the tanks to refuel. In the cyclops, a fuel cell would convert the gases back to water and power the submarine. I don't know if the electrolyzer would produce enough hydrogen to even sustain the reactor, but I am pretty confident because nuclear fusion produces a lot more power than chemical reactions.
If you read all this, congratulations! I would like this to be read by a developer too
Let me know if you like this concept!
Evidence show's that internal tides most likely propagate more energy than surface tides.
"Satellite altimeter data now show that tidal mixing in the deep ocean is about as important as the wind. Perhaps as much as half of the tidal energy in the ocean is dissipated in mixing processes when tidal currents in the deep ocean flow over seamounts, ridges, and other rugged features on the ocean floor or weave through passages between islands.
Tidal currents flowing over topographic irregularities on the ocean floor generate internal waves that propagate away from their source. These internal waves arise from the fact that water density increases gradually with increasing depth. As tidal currents encounter a seamount or submarine ridge, relatively dense water is forced upward into slightly less dense water. Then to the lee of the obstacle gravity pulls the denser water downward. However, the descending water gains momentum and over shoots its equilibrium level and descends into denser water. The water then ascends thereby forming an oscillating wave that propagates horizontally. Because these waves are generated by tides, they occur at tidal frequencies and are called internal tides. Internal tide waves can travel thousands of kilometers beyond the obstruction that formed them and can have very large wave heights. They also break, like surf on a beach but under water, locally mixing waters above and below the internal wave. Internal tides are important in mixing cold bottom waters with warmer surface waters as part of the global oceanic conveyer belt circulation."
Bringing up the point of recyclable fresh air in the underwater sea-base is also an excellent question. Oh how those incommodious air tubes vex me so.
http://oceanmotion.org/html/background/tides-ocean.htm
Helium 3 is a good fusion fuel as well.
Maybe, but the concept would stay the same wether we need Deuterium and Tritium or Helium 3. While Helium 3 fusion has some advantages over Tritium fusion, it is much harder to achieve and Helium 3 is horribly expensive, even in comparison to Tritium. So I think Tritium would be more likely to be used as fuel.
You actually can create a fusion reaction by fusing deuterium with itself. It's the second easiest way for fusion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_power#Fuels