Generators are able to provide their rated power continuously however the power produced by solar panels is heavily dependent on the weather and where the van is parked ding said.
Rimworld solar panel vs generator.
Though they take up a good bit of space they provide high amounts of power during the day and couple very well with sun lamps.
They also don t block wind turbines.
The generator outputs a constant 1000 w burning 4 5 chemfuel per day no matter how much power is actually drawn.
It has much smaller space requirements than a wind turbine but provides no power at night or during an eclipse.
2 solar panels will provide 2x the power.
Fuel has to be delivered to the generator by a colonist.
Sun lamps automatically turn themselves off at night to save power while the plants are resting.
Generators are a low level light source and also produce heat.
Solar panels are a mainstay.
Also they don t consume anything.
Fueled generator generates hardly any power but at least they do so for 3 days straight and solar panels can power a crapload during the day.
A sun lamp will illuminate tiles within a five block radius at 100 and outside tiles at only 50 or less.
Solar energy is in some ways not as reliable as generators if you don t take the mechanical failure of a generator into account.
Solar panels pretty much can be counted on to give power every day and i think it gives more energy as well but eclipses and bad weather makes it a rather unsteady power source.
It can be placed in a wind turbine s exclusion zone with no effect on the turbine.
Sometimes it s hard to source enough wood for the generators.
Which one is better.
Nov 1 2017 3 39pm.
The solar panels generate 5 1kw during the day that s 2kw to the grid and 3 1kw to battery charging so about 1 5kw charging batteries have 50 efficiency over 2 3 of a day in rimworld days on average are twice as long as nights or 1kwd of power.
Both have pros and cons and it s better to use both and have lots of batteries.
During the night the batteries discharge at 2kw for 1 3 of a day losing 700kwd.
