Solar Modules

[Nasabot]

There are 2 aspects in the game I see can need rework. One is the trivial solar energy and the other is the "stone economy". Both aspects can be improved in conjunction with each other.

1, Yes, Nuclear energy IS a worthwhile competitor to solar panels, but Factorio is a game where you want to design production chains. Solar energy in its current state does not add to this aspect

2, Stone is overly abundant and there is no interesting stone sink

So here is my Idea:

Introduce a new mechanic where you place a new type of building which can be fitted with content.

Like a Solar Frame. It looks like the normal solar modules just without solar cells . It cost is the same as the current solar module and it does nothing on its own.

You, your Robots or even inserters can fit it with a SOLAR CELLS to make it start producing energy (like 150kW or even more instead of the old 60kW)

Solar Cells have a limited lifespan and disappears after a certain time (the radiation and dust from the planet withers it). After the "fitted Solar Module" is depleted it changes its state to "empty Solar Frame", you get the idea.

Now the economical interesting part:

Solar cells are made out of a new intermediate product: SILICION (a Stone product). A single solar could cost 5 Silicon (=50 Stone) + 1 or 2 Copper Wire

This idea makes Solar Energy more complex and more of a "brother" to nuclear energy in lategame: Both energy forms are complex, require a certain design effort and are "quasi infinite", while making stonepatches to a worthwhile resource.

[Tym]

stone is also used in trackage. build more railroads.

[Nasabot]

stone is also used in trackage. build more railroads.

I could literally build rails EVERYWHERE and would not be able to deplete a 1,5m Stone field...

The only thing you can do is to build stone patchs and walls EVERYWHERE and fill every tile of water. But even then you probably face an overabundance of stone.

[Factory Lobster]

Introduce glass (processing stone to get quartz) to the game for optics, computing, military, etc application. Bam, stone is suddenly needed like copper.

[Chromatix]

If the actual problem is abundance of stone, i would recommend adding proper concrete industry, i.e. the area, where "stone" should ultimately end anyway. When you mine ordinary "stone", you should sort it at least to limestone and say granite. Then you bake limestone in furnace (and here you can make dedicated rotary furnace eating lots of coal or solid fuel) to produce cement. Then, you take cement with water and the other kind of stone, granite in this example and make concrete. And of course, you can make loads of different types of concrete recipes with cement / stone / steel / whatever. the point is here, not all generic "stone" can be used to ultimately produce concrete, therefore when you mine it, you must refine it and you get only fraction of the original amount. And when you properly set the ratios, you can find that for one concrete tile you need like 10-50 stone. And of course, different concrete types can provide different speed bonuses, higher bonuses from more expensive ones. This seems more natural use of "stone" in modern times factory just because... in modern city, concrete is everywhere, not only roads.