Tutorial: Solar flowers

1st Official Post

    This tutorial will teach you how to make solar flowers, formations of Solar Collectors intended to generate EU together.


    Basic 5-flower
    Peak generation power: 10 EU/s
    This is the most basic flower out there, commonly chosen by beginners and tutorials.
    Start by building a foundation: cables (beware of EU loss), a MFE/MFS next to a cable and a switch cable on the top.
    Then put Solar Collectors on the 5 free sides of the switch cable. The switch cable ensures the current goes down.

    13-flower (aka solar tree)
    Peak generation power: 26 EU/s
    Make a 5-flower, except that the foundation has a second switch cable on the top, and the flower should be built around the top one. Then, put 4 cables on the side of the bottom switch cable.
    Then, put Solar Collectors at the corners and end of the cables you just built.



    I need more designs... contribute by replying with your layout's screenshot and name!

    I use a repeatable pattern that keeps the vertical profile to a minimum while still using 100% of the area.
    starting with the basic petal but inset in the ground.


    then i found out you can stack the generators right next to eachother without problems


    doubling again


    now for the wiring. They come down in a slightly off pattern


    bring the wires down two meters and pick a side.
    the first three aren't hard to wire to the hub


    careful on the fourth one though.


    finally, add a switch cable at the hub for a clean 20EU/s



    this pattern can be repeated as multiple times as as you need.


    Here's a 2500EU/s array i made before i realized i could set the generators adjacent to each other.

    I like to use a "stair" method.


    Step up a combo of switch cables and normal (you can put MFE's instead of switches for more length) then cover the whole thing with solar panels.

    Advanced Solar Tree (based off: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG6koWZxjeI)
    I modified the design slightly from what the video shows to fill up for the 4 missing slots in the tree to make full use of the sunlight.






    (Make sure you don't melt the inner 4 cables in the above when your trying to get the next few cables onto the MFE/MFSU in the next image)




    After setting all MFE/MFSU's to Output 64:

    You can slot one more cable at the bottom and attach an energy storage unit to it's sides without losing any more power.
    You can also use a cable instead of a switch cable for the top most part of the tree.


    (Build rights required, click image. Rules are on the page)

    Quote from RichardG

    Zane6888: I did the calculations using a EC Manipulator.


    ScarleTomato: That's just a set of 5-flowers, nothing fancy. I need an unique layout.


    I think you did something wrong, I built a Basic 5 flower used the EC-Manipulator and got 5 EU/s


    Quote from darenton2k7

    @hatsunemiki
    mfsu dont output form sides

    Besides stating the obvious (since I wouldn't get the above measured current if I did it incorrectly), care to look at the design again?
    Switch cables output down by default and up if redstone current is applied to it.
    MFSU/MFE's output up OR down. There are cables attached to the top of the first level storage, and then below the second level storage.


    (Build rights required, click image. Rules are on the page)

    • Official Post
    Quote from Hatsune Miku

    Besides stating the obvious (since I wouldn't get the above measured current if I did it incorrectly), care to look at the design again?
    Switch cables output down by default and up if redstone current is applied to it.
    MFSU/MFE's output up OR down. There are cables attached to the top of the first level storage, and then below the second level storage.

    oh oops thats my bad...never noticed u had them wired up from the top XD human error :)

    Hi,


    I copied my design from online tutorials, but changed it slightly. My flower is currently only using 9 solar panels, which is enough for my needs atm. It should be able to hold 13 when complete. It only uses 1 switch cable.


    It is the same as the 13 flower design above but with the top switch cable removed, and the top solar panel moved down one to create 5 level solar panels.



    with the new relays is it possible to build "flat solarflowers"



    first build 2 relays pointing to the middle on each side



    then fill the rest up with relays arrows showing their directions



    add a switch cable in the middle and a layer of solar collectors on top


    and thats it

    They look way better than solar trees, and tessellate much better, but ofc they require more resources as well. I think I could make a setup that is almost the same as a solar tree, but squaricle, and using relays to make it mostly flat. This is interesting none the less, and Actually, you could easily make the generic setup a lot of people tried first (including me) using relays, basically
    S = solar, > = relay
    SSSS
    >>>>
    SSSS

    Quote from jocap


    Not true either, if you're talking about solar panels (to which IC2's website redirects). One solar panel generates 1 EU/t, i.e. 1/20 EU/s == .05 EU/s.

    Dang dude, check the dates! The post you replied to is over a year and a month old, and I don't think Zane6888 posts anymore, not only that but your information is also wrong. 1 EU/T means it generates 1 EU EVERY T therefore it will output 20 EU/s if in the middle of day, you could have checked that yourself by seeing that your batbox connected to a single panel is making much much more than .05 EU/s, all of this combined with posting in the IC section (the wiki you checked is IC2 and therefore liable to not be correct here) as well this being your first post... I'm done here

    Is the answer to this question no?


    Quote

    Hey don't take it so hard. Ignorance is part of this generation it seems. -the wise words of XFmax-o-l

    Edited once, last by CrafterOfMines57 ().