Open letter to the two people in this forum that know nothing about setting up solars

[BONERMASTER]

200 KW input - 200 KW output

get this out of your head.

You put solars up as energy backup. But if you set the output to the input, then you don't have a back up. That's hotwiring the solars, and it's a simple consequence. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand that.

Set the output to 60 KW - and don't be stupid. Peace.

[Kel]

but i WANT to overcharge the grid.

[Jack7D1]

Input to the max output of the solars and no more i'd recommend. Since if some dope decides to hot wire you don't powersink yourself.
I find that the average output of the solar arrrays is usually around 55 kW, so I'd reccomend 50 kW output.
So for most stations:
90kW in
50 kW out

[Vekter]

but i WANT to overcharge the grid.

Then hook the SM straight into the grid.

[Dr. Aura]

Is there any disadvantage to setting the input to max assuming that it may not always reach there? I find solars to vary anywhere from 40kW to 60kW, so would it fuck anything over if I were to set it's input to 60kW even if that particular grid was only charging ~45kW?

[Tlaltecuhtli]

Is there any disadvantage to setting the input to max assuming that it may not always reach there? I find solars to vary anywhere from 40kW to 60kW, so would it fuck anything over if I were to set it's input to 60kW even if that particular grid was only charging ~45kW?

found the first person that doesnt know how to solars who is the second?

[BONERMASTER]

Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.

Before your engineering contract is terminated, I'll reveal you the answer: Input is the limit on how much energy you are allowing the SMES to take. This only plays a role with multiple connected SMES units, so you can adjust how much each of them is getting. For the single ones at solars, always crank it to maximum.

[Jaredfogle]

I've always done input 200, output 170. Never really put any thought into it.

[Armhulen]

I've always done input 200, output 170. Never really put any thought into it.

I never think it's too important on what you're outputting, as long as it's not as much as your input. Leave something for the backup battery, the rest to the station.

[PKPenguin321]

I like to just bypass the SMES and wire the solars right into the grid.

[Bytube]

just replace the entire station with solars for maximum power

[Screemonster]

just replace the entire station with solars for maximum power

the sun is fusion right

so to get the most out of the solars we should fill the entire station with fusion and point the solar panels inwards

[Tlaltecuhtli]

if you delete the station except the solar panels, you get improved power generation

[CSPAN]

I always set the output to 0 for the first 20 or so minutes of the round to allow the solar SMES to charge. At that point I either forget they exist or something happened to the main power system and I'll go through and crank up the output to 50kw on each of them.

[BONERMASTER]

Lot's of wrong answers in this thread. This concerns me.

The maximum power of solars averages at 90 KW. If you jank the output up to and above that, it's hotwired.

I have prepared an educational video for you to take in and reflect on everything you have learned in this thread.

Spoiler:

Feedback is appreciated.

[trollbreeder]

Please set up the SM, you're the only engineer here that hasn't fucked off to tide yet

[Armhulen]

Lot's of wrong answers in this thread. This concerns me.

The maximum power of solars averages at 90 KW. If you jank the output up to and above that, it's hotwired.

I have prepared an educational video for you to take in and reflect on everything you have learned in this thread.

Spoiler:

Feedback is appreciated.

I don't give a shit about hotwiring, I give a shit about saving battery, and that's the only thing you should give a shit about too frankly

[Ivuchnu]

Hello. 200 kW / 200 kW gang here.

From code/modules/power/smes.dm

var/output_used = 0 // amount of power actually outputted. may be less than output_level if the powernet returns excess power

You still allow SMES to charge to full as long as there's no power demand currently. 4 solars with maxed output and inputs on their SMES will charge and keep 800 kW "available" in grid. Actual power is lower because solars, but you definitely can run 800 kW load for a while because SMES charge. That's why SMES is better than SMES-less hotwire.

Why do I like 200 kW output per SMES - if wires become damaged on station, it takes much more time to see red discharging APCs as happens when you limit SMES to something "reasonable".

Downside is obvious, you fry people with shocks harder, but it's pretty negligible, I regularly mend wires in maint without insuls, just latex gloves, outhealing all the shocks with TissHy virus.

[MrStonedOne]

This thread is making think we should put back in the check that would cause it to not charge if power available on the input net was below the input rate.

edit: https://github.com/tgstation/tgstation/pull/27237

[Jack7D1]

ACH, that was awful to deal with, since you have so much wasted energy from solars. If that's how it's going to be then I'd rather just code it so that it doesn't charge is the SMESs input and output are on the same grid.

[Ivuchnu]

It's not about looped SMES. It's about SMES that is limited by it's parts tier only. 200 kW / 200 kW, full throttle. What I personally would like to see is some device to automatically adjust SMES power output according to demand. Boost output for power shortages or keep small oversupply. Right now you either make generous excess of power or fine-tune output to avoid strong shocks while suffering from mice.

[BONERMASTER]

This thread is making think we should put back in the check that would cause it to not charge if power available on the input net was below the input rate.

edit: https://github.com/tgstation/tgstation/pull/27237

No man, that shit ain't bueno. The system right now, you just get it. Input is how much energy can go in it.

This crap we had back then, you're punching in a number and you don't even know if it's good or not. If I set up a power system, I don't want to fiddle half an hour with the SMES to find out that small sweetspot that makes the thing work. If you want complicated, you have the entire power system. Just don't make the damn battery complicated, man.

[cacogen]

I thought in times of olde you just set it slightly less than the max output of the solar and it was fine. It would stop charging when the sun went behind the clouds and the output dipped beneath that number but after it re-emerged it'd continue charging. I don't remember. As it is now it feels like there's no point to input other than to have it be less than the output so the SMES charges. I do remember a round earlier this year I think where the input was set too high on the four SMES and they were draining power from the power net but I don't remember if the wiring had been altered for that to happen or not.

[CSPAN]

I thought in times of olde you just set it slightly less than the max output of the solar and it was fine. It would stop charging when the sun went behind the clouds and the output dipped beneath that number but after it re-emerged it'd continue charging. I don't remember. As it is now it feels like there's no point to input other than to have it be less than the output so the SMES charges. I do remember a round earlier this year I think where the input was set too high on the four SMES and they were draining power from the power net but I don't remember if the wiring had been altered for that to happen or not.

Solars will not charge off the station power net unless the SMES terminal is hot wired to it.

This is a default setup solar control room. The solar array itself is only wired into its control computer and the SMES terminal. The wire coming from the SMES itself that leads into the wider power net is what feeds power from the SMES. A single click with wire alters this setup to charge the SMES off the station power net, but this isn't advised unless your main engines power output is very very high (and you haven't upgraded the main SMES in engineering for higher I/O)

As I said before, usually I'll set the solar SMES input to max (any input above 90kw makes no real difference) and output to 0 for at least a few solar cycles. At that point you can crank output up to desired levels. If you want to be an autist about it set the output to 45kw on each since that's the average input over time.

[Agux909]

I always do 200/190 is that wrong?

[Ivuchnu]

picture without minecraft wiring

hmmmmm...

200/190

If output is already this high, might as well do 200/200. Changes to how SMES works now will make solars reliably power station without SM.

[Gigapuddi420]

Just wire the solars directly into the grid, fuck assistants, fuck SMES

[oranges]

sun went behind the clouds

what do you know that you're not telling us

[Sheodir]

sun went behind the clouds

what do you know that you're not telling us

where does the sun go at night, oranges

you coded it, so answer me

[cacogen]

if you look up it's a sunny day in space

[cocothegogo]

people use solars?

[XivilaiAnaxes]

Downside is obvious, you fry people with shocks harder

Downside?

[MrStonedOne]

if you look up it's a sunny day in space

look what?

[Iatots]

It's been years since SMES not charging because the set input was more than the power in the cable.
You can safely set it to max output since it will just end up safely stored in engineering SMES, which nobody ever sabotages and once those are full, since nobody ever upgrades them, the solars will charge their SMESes. Yes this will waste engine power once SMES are full, but solars only matter when the engine is off so moot point.

[cacogen]

if you look up it's a sunny day in space

look what?

there's a neckbeard staring down at you