Factorio Forums

I would like to be able to connect a power pole to a Combinator to read the current power usage and output a signal (to a Programmable Speaker) if power usage exceeds a set value. The primary use for this would be to make sure a factory isn't over-consuming solar power.

The ability to read the exact number of solar panels in the Electric Network would be helpful for this but isn't absolutely necessary.

You connect it to an accumulator to get energy statistics not a power pole, power poles are useful for letting you string wires long distance adding this would make that a problem.

if power is going up you're fine if power is going down and it's day time that's a problem your task now is to find a way to make a clock so you can tell the detector it's night and supposed to be draining and not warning you of catastrophe

And having counts of numbers of connected entities would have to be something more global than just power IMO

Added to viewtopic.php?f=80&t=31440 Ideas Around Energy Production: Solar, Wind, Water, Nuclear, Fusion ...

With the nuclear energy added this makes eventually sense.

I think it would be useful to output to have two modes:

Mode 1 is just output of some new signals for
- total amount of energy produced
- and consumed
- total amount of stored energy
- For the producers (steam engine, accu...) amount of produced energy. For the accus this can be also negative!

For me it's unclear how to handle very, very large numbers which can happen for accu-energy in some monster factory...


Mode 2:

Amount of energy that is produced/consumed is represented by the items, that are used to build that entity. Consumption is negative, production positive.

That are in details the amount for each type of entity that can be used for the really complex calculations.