Factorio Forums

I need to generate plenty of power to launch the rocket on a weird map:

Negatives:

- No Uranium on map.
- I only have one small lake.
- This is my run for no advanced logistic chests and no lasers (good thing, I couldn't afford to power lasers anyway) achievements.

Positives:
- Biter expansion is off for this map and I already pushed them back. Not worried about pollution.
- I have almost 1500 construction bots.

I can think of two options:

- Create a solar panel/accumulator/substation assembly line and set the bots to build a massive solar farm.
- Place offshore pumps lining the perimeter of the lake and feeding directly into pumps to boost the water away, then make an array of steam power plants.

Questions:
- Which option is faster?
- Is there another option I am not considering?

Don't forget that 1500 bots use a significant amount of power. (As do enough roboports to make that many bots useful). Personally I build even 1 GW solar fields (25,000 solar panels) with only 200 bots. Yeah they take awhile to build a big field, but it also takes a while to to build 25000 solar panels, so that isn't a problem. I also only lay the blueprints a few tiles at a time, so I don't have more than a few 1000 ghosts at any one time. (My large solar blueprint contain radar, so I can expand the solar field from the map view).

Also depending on the scale you are planning to build, and whether you want to switch to electric furnaces, you probably only need 2-3 pump worth of power to launch the rocket. That is the sort of power level I need for an 8 hr run.

If ressources are a problem : steam
If not : Solar is easier.

Thank you. Going solar this run.