Making Solar More Viable with Modules & Efficiency Research

[everything-narrative]

TL;DR

Solar isn't the best option for energy generation, especially late-game, and extant mods add new tech trees, instead of mirroring base Factorio content: efficiency research and modules.

What ?

Proposal 1: Allow solar panels and accumulators to take modules and be affected by beacons.

[*] Solar panels can be fitted with productivity modules. The three tiers of productivity modules might for instance apply their percentage-wise bonus directly to the panel's output and add 2.4 kW, 3.6 kW, and 6 kW, peak production respectively.
[*] Accumulators can be fitted with efficiency modules. The three tiers of efficiency modules apply their percentage as a positive bonus to the energy an accumulator can store, adding 1.5 MJ, 2.0 MJ, and 2.5 MJ storage respectively.
[*] Accumulators can be fitted with speed modules. The three tiers of speed modules apply their percentage bonus to the discharge speed of an accumulator, adding 60 kW, 90 kW, and 150 kW power input/output respectively.
[/list]

Balancing issues: the figure for productivity modules in solar panels is quite low, perhaps speed modules should apply instead, or the rates of the productivity modules should be multiplied by 5, so they match the bonuses on speed modules. Additionally, the ability to slot modules in either kind of structure could be gated behind it's own research.

Other issues: using an otherwise negative percentage from efficiency modules but with the sign flipped is a little weird. There's room for work-shopping the numbers and wording here.

Proposal 2: infinite "solar panel power output" and "accumulator discharge speed"/"accumulator capacity" research trees.

• Each becomes available perhaps as early as with the Logistics Science pack.
• Each goes up by one additional science pack until reaching a levels-to-infinity technology.
• Solar panels produce 10% more power per level researched.
• Accumulators gain 10% higher capacity, and 10% faster discharge rate per level researched.

Balancing issues: perhaps it is prudent and more immersive that both tech trees be gated behind Chemical Science packs. This may or may not completely overshadow modules; more investigation needs to be done.

Why ?

It is in-line with numerous other existing structures such as miners, furnaces, and labs: they take modules and efficiency research to increase their usability. This is why there is only one mining drill and one furnace (give or take fuel options.)

[Koub]

I'm wondering : why only solar, and not also steam engines and nuclear ?

btw I disagree strongly with this statement :

Solar isn't the best option for energy generation, especially late-game

(personal opinion of course).

[slippycheeze]

Solar isn't the best option for energy generation, especially late-game, and extant mods add new tech trees, instead of mirroring base Factorio content: efficiency research and modules.

Respectfully, I think the opening statement is well beyond the point of being personal opinion, rather than anything else. You can also request someone implement your vision in the mod request forum if you are unhappy that the current mods don't work as you would like.

That said, I also strongly disagree with the assertion that "new tech trees" in the form of multi-tier research for higher output solar panels "[does not] mirror base Factorio content": in core there are multiple examples of multi-tier research, including the most obvious one, modules themselves, and beacons, but also power distribution options, steam-to-power converters, belts, and inserters.

If your objection is that you need to upgrade the entities on the ground, you still fall short: belts, inserters, and to a similar degree power poles, all mirror the pattern of developing a higher tier entity, and then upgrading some or all of the entities on the ground to match.

So ... while I entirely respect your right to like what you like, I don't think you can convincingly claim that current mods are "not factorio-like."

Proposal 2: infinite "solar panel power output" and "accumulator discharge speed"/"accumulator capacity" research trees.

I'm a little confused by this suggestion, since you complained initially that existing mods add new technology trees, but this would add a new technology tree? Am I misunderstanding what you mean by "technology tree" or something?

It is in-line with numerous other existing structures such as miners, furnaces, and labs: they take modules and efficiency research to increase their usability. This is why there is only one mining drill and one furnace (give or take fuel options.)

There are three different furnaces. They are, in fact, a series of upgradable entities, exactly as the various mods implementing upgraded solar panels choose. I'm extremely confused why furnaces get a free pass, but solar panels don't, in your mind?

[BlueTemplar]

Another (fairly minor) issue with this proposition,
is how modules are restricted to beacons and furnaces/assemblers -
and besides the main reason of this limitation (probably to simplify the underlying code),
one could also raise the "game realism" objection :
that the increased speed/productivity/efficiency would come from "better practices" employed inside these entities by various robots.
While solar panels and accumulators seem to be too simple for this to work...
(Note that it couldbe interesting for gameplay purposes... but could be not viable due to being in conflict with solar/accumulator UPS optimizations ?)

[SuperSandro2000]

Solar isn't the best option for energy generation, especially late-game

It is the most ups efficient, has zero maintenance and easily scale able.