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TheGuyMain

Help understanding solar panel : accumulator ratio

Question

I'm doing some math for the ratios and keep getting 23.8 panels to 25.2 accumulators. Everyone else has more panels than accumulators, but I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Can you guys help? Math below:

Target power: 1MW

Required items for 1MW output

  • Panels required: 16.667
    • (1000kW/MW) / (60kW/panel) = 16.667 panels/MW
  • Accumulators required: 3.333
    • (1000kW/MW) / (300kW/accumulator) = 3.333 accumulators/MW
  • Accumulator discharge time = 16.667s
    • 300kW/5MJ = 16.667s

Seconds of downtime to make up for = 126s

  • Potential full power duration - average actual full power duration = average actual 0 power duration
    • Phase duration - phase duration * actual power output/potential power output = average actual 0 power duration
    • 210s - 210s * (60kW/60kW) + 84s - 84s * (30kW/60kW) + 42s - 42s * (0kW/60kW) + 84s - 84s * (30kW/60kW)
    • 0s + 42s + 42s + 42s = 126s of 0 power output

Items required to compensate for lost output (assuming 1MJ/s)

  • Panels: 7.56
    • (126s/night) / (16.667 panels/MW) = 7.56 panels/night
  • Accumulators: 25.2
    • (126s/night) * (1MJ/s) * (1 accumulator/5MJ) = 25.2 accumulators/night
    • (126s/night) * (1MJ/s) * (1 charge cycle/16.667s) * (3.333 accumulators/MW)
    • (126s/night) * (1MJ/s) * (1 accumulator/5MJ) = 25.2 accumulators/night

Extra panels required to charge 25.2 accumulators = 7.14 panels

  • Average duration of solar panel full power output per day: 294s
  • Power produced by 1 solar panel per day: 17.64MJ
  • 60kW/panel * 294s/day = 17.64MJ/day/panel

Panels required to supply 126MJ to accumulators (assuming 294s of power production and 60kW of power per panel) = 7.14 panels

  • 126MJ/night / 17.64MJ/day/panel = 7.14 panels/day to supply 126MJ/night

Total panels required to sustain 1MW all day = 23.8 panels

  • 16.667 panels/1MW/day + 7.14 panels/126MJ/night = 23.8 panels

Accumulator : Panel ratio = 25:24

  • 25.2 accumulators : 23.8 panels = 25 accumulators : 24 panels

Posted Jul 6, 2025, 7:31 PM UTC

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