Power for the Power Armor!

[Calico]

Combat early game tends to be quite hard, compared to the time when you have a Power Armor with a Fusion Reactor (or two) and dozens of Distractor and Destroyer Bots. So here a suggestion to make it a bit easier, at least for that time when you get to the Basic Modular Armour.

You remember those times, when you start hunting for your first alien artifacts? When you move the first small alien outpost closest by, only to find that you power has completly been drained by the walk to get over there... and you reach it during the midday with the sun high in the sky. Wait for your Energy to recharge.... the sun sinks slowly, battery only half full. You stand around doing nothing, since every meter you walk would again drain your half full power cell. Next Day dawns and finally, it's again midday, your Batteries are now full and you can attack, being sure that you will have at least another 2-3 minds until sunset. Annoying, but you have no alternative until you get a Fusion Reactor.

Give all Power Armours, including the Modular Armour, a basic Energy Output of 20-30W. This will not be a big deal later on, since the amount is quite tiny compared to what Fusion Reactors or even a big set of solar cells produce. It will however be a big deal when you are still running around with the Basic Modular, with only a few Solar Cells and Batteries mk2.

The Energy source could be your replicator, that is inbuilt in your basic super future tech suit that you had when you landed on the planet. You remember, the one that allowed you to build a giant factory out of nothing but a few ressources. Cars are mostly for long distance travel, IMHO. You should need to build one just to save power for a medium distance jog to the closest alien outpost that is just beyond your base perimeter. Or having to remove the Exo-Sceleton every time you do some alien hunting.

TL;DR: Don't make us waiting a day for our most basic armour to recharge with sunlight. Standing around doing nothing isn't fun. Having to take out the Exosceleton every time you leave base just to save energy isn't fun either. Give Armour a small but steady Power source, allowing Batteries to recharge overnight when doing nothing but waiting for the dawn of the new day.

[Coolthulhu]

I'd rather have a recharge station.
We could use it to charge batteries, modular batteries, logistic bots and players with modular batteries in armor. Also discharge all kinds of batteries and the excess energy from portable fusion reactor. This would allow both transporting energy like oil in barrels and setting up tiny outposts without connecting them to the grid or laying fields of solars.

I don't like the free energy idea. Sounds like a workaround instead of a solution. A solution would be something that doesn't make portable solars totally useless, works, uses as much of current system as possible and possibly also makes another useless thing useful.
Such as steampunkish diesel engine generator. Huge pollution making it unfeasible for "stealth" near enemy lines, capable of working at any moment in day or night, eating up the useless oils.
A non-portable version could be used to power small outposts far from water and electricity - just like it is done in real life.

Oh, and buff portable solars. Currently they're only useful for slowly regenerating shields. 3 steps in exoskeleton and all batteries are drained.

[Gammro]

We have batteries now, you make those usable as consumables. When you use a battery, an (small) amount of battery of the exoskeleton is recharged.

[Calico]

I wouldn't mind a recharge station, a throwaway fast recharge super batterie, a Steampunk Generator or a small buff to solar panels on armours either... but i do think that a built in power source is useful, in-line with game "lore" and doesn't make solar panels on your armour useless. We are talking about 20-30W here, thats 2-3 Solar Panels that actually work during the night and help recharge batteries. Even a early Modular armour has 5-7 Solar cells, so they would still provide the main power and wouldn't be useless. As you self pointed out, 3 steps with a exo and your batteries are half drained anway. 20-30W "free" Power wouldn't change that, but it would mitigate the issue, especially during nighttime waits.

It also seems a lot easier to program then adding a totally new set of items to the game. So it might be a workaround, but until more Dev-time can be put to the issues of combat it would help early game. And the Devs have a lot more todo in other areas so a workaround might be best for the time beeing.

[Phantasm]

Recharge station would sure be nice. Also some strange clunky portable oil-powered plant could fit the style. Could slow down your speed a bit (unless you negate it with exoskeleton) or something, but still make quite nice power output.

Though with recharge station, it could allow abuse if you take powers near enemy base and put few lasers to protect you. Then just hit and run few times to kill the base.