Or what you can do if you stayed on Mars for too long and have not become earthsick enough yet!
We all love triboelectric scrubbers, right? Since they significantly lower the maintenance cost of our martian buildings.
Especially, the maintenance costs of early energy generators, like solar panels or turbines, skyrocket in the course of the game, because you will need lots of them. If you ever played a game where you tried to fullfill your power needs with solar panels only, I am sure you know exactly what I mean.
Yes, stirling generators are nice. No maintenance costs while being closed. But let's be honest, they are very expensive for their meager power output. Better invest your precious advanced resources elsewhere.
Now, for solar panels there is a nice technology called dust repulsion, which greatly reduces their maintenance cost. Combine that with triboelectric scrubbers and you get a fine synergy: Maintenance costs of solar panels are practically reduced to zero when they are withing the working range of a triboelectric scrubber. Very nice.
The working range of a triboelectric scrubber can be extended up to 8 hexes. Also very nice.
Now, I asked myself a simple question, but I then found that the solution is far from being so simple.
And that's the ultimate triboelectric power grid challenge.
What is the optimal layout for a power grid of three-hex solar panels within the eight hex range of a single maximally extended triboelectric scrubber?
Or, equivalently,
What is the maximal possible number of three-hex solar panels within the working range of a single triboelectric scrubber, all being power connected?
If you wonder why that might be a challenge: The question seems to be rather simple, indeed, but you will find that the final solution to this is quite tricky. And I promise that you will be surprised by it.
Note that all three hexes of the solar panel have to be inside the tribolectric scrubber range. One hex cover is not enough to fully trigger its beneficial effect.
Here comes just an example to demonstrate the problem. This should look familiar.
Obviously, this triboelectric power grid is far from being optimal. 50 solar panels in total, but some hexes on the border of the scrubber range are wasted, and much of the space is used by power cables, too. How can it be done better? Or, more precisely, how can it be done perfectly?
(Of course, one could also use turbines instead of solar panels, since they both have the same 3-hex shape for placement. But my advice is not to do this because you will most likely find yourself landing in misclicking hell. Besides, there is no tech equivalent tech to dust repulsion for turbines that would offer a similar synergy effect to maintenance as for solar panels. Still, the optimal layout can also be applied to turbines for the triboelectric effect, of course.)
If you wish taking the challenge yourself and don't like to be spoiled by any hints or the solution, please stop reading here.
Spoiler territory ahead!
Click here if you want to see the solution to the optimal layout of the ultimate triboelectric power grid challenge.
This is my final layout to the optimal triboelectric solar panel power grid. The white dots are the power connectors you need to place so that the solar panels are fully power connected. (Double-click on the hex while in power cable mode in order to place them.)
A total number of 63 solar panels with 315.5 raw energy output in total, or even 630 if you are lucky and researched the hypersensitive photovoltaics breakthrough tech. With a maintenance cost of just a single triboelectric scrubber, practically, provided dust repulsion is researched!
Really nice, isn't it? Fusion reactors suddenly look quite lame, if you are asking me.
Another great bonus advantage of this layout besides its little maintenance cost: There will be no cable faults inside the grid because power connectors alone cannot produce them. So no worries regarding cable faults either.
The layout can be varied, of course. By mirroring sides, for instance. But I am sure that this is the optimal solution. No more than 63 solar panels. If you can disprove this, please tell, and I will most likely become earthsick.
Still not being satisfied with the power output of the this power grid?
Indeed, it can be improved even more. Not by changing the layout but by something else.
Somebody thinking about "Artificial Sun"?
Yes, that is a possibility and a good guess but it would give only a minor bonus to the energy production for some solar panels right at the border of the grid. Not bad but also not great.
There is even a better possibility ... but in order to do so we have to enter mystery territory ... so there is just another spoiler ahead. Absolutely don't click it if you want to discover this by yourself!
Have you managed to find the same optimal power grid layout? Or maybe something else to share? I'd really like to know.
I hope you enjoyed this.
P.S. Just a note for the developers: Too bad there isn't an achievement for this. This was the most tricky thing to do during my whole "Surviving Mars" game experience.
We all love triboelectric scrubbers, right? Since they significantly lower the maintenance cost of our martian buildings.
Especially, the maintenance costs of early energy generators, like solar panels or turbines, skyrocket in the course of the game, because you will need lots of them. If you ever played a game where you tried to fullfill your power needs with solar panels only, I am sure you know exactly what I mean.
Yes, stirling generators are nice. No maintenance costs while being closed. But let's be honest, they are very expensive for their meager power output. Better invest your precious advanced resources elsewhere.
Now, for solar panels there is a nice technology called dust repulsion, which greatly reduces their maintenance cost. Combine that with triboelectric scrubbers and you get a fine synergy: Maintenance costs of solar panels are practically reduced to zero when they are withing the working range of a triboelectric scrubber. Very nice.
The working range of a triboelectric scrubber can be extended up to 8 hexes. Also very nice.
Now, I asked myself a simple question, but I then found that the solution is far from being so simple.
And that's the ultimate triboelectric power grid challenge.
What is the optimal layout for a power grid of three-hex solar panels within the eight hex range of a single maximally extended triboelectric scrubber?
Or, equivalently,
What is the maximal possible number of three-hex solar panels within the working range of a single triboelectric scrubber, all being power connected?
If you wonder why that might be a challenge: The question seems to be rather simple, indeed, but you will find that the final solution to this is quite tricky. And I promise that you will be surprised by it.
Note that all three hexes of the solar panel have to be inside the tribolectric scrubber range. One hex cover is not enough to fully trigger its beneficial effect.
Here comes just an example to demonstrate the problem. This should look familiar.
Obviously, this triboelectric power grid is far from being optimal. 50 solar panels in total, but some hexes on the border of the scrubber range are wasted, and much of the space is used by power cables, too. How can it be done better? Or, more precisely, how can it be done perfectly?
(Of course, one could also use turbines instead of solar panels, since they both have the same 3-hex shape for placement. But my advice is not to do this because you will most likely find yourself landing in misclicking hell. Besides, there is no tech equivalent tech to dust repulsion for turbines that would offer a similar synergy effect to maintenance as for solar panels. Still, the optimal layout can also be applied to turbines for the triboelectric effect, of course.)
If you wish taking the challenge yourself and don't like to be spoiled by any hints or the solution, please stop reading here.
Spoiler territory ahead!
Don't use any power cables for the layout at all (meaning having a length of two hexes or more).
Only use single hex "power cables", that is just the power connectors.
Two buildings with a power connector between them count as connected just as with cables.
(Double-click on a single hex while in power cable mode in order to place a power connector. )
Only use single hex "power cables", that is just the power connectors.
Two buildings with a power connector between them count as connected just as with cables.
(Double-click on a single hex while in power cable mode in order to place a power connector. )
Don't place any power connectors right at the border of the layout but only use them inside in order to maximize their connecting efficiency. You can connect the whole grid to your power system later by placing a cable just one hex outside the layout (ie. by connecting just a single solar panel at the border).
Note that the three-hex solar panels components of the grid are symmetric to a 120 degree rotation. The optimal layout should also respect that symmetry. Which means you should be able rotate it by 120 degrees to get the same result. (If you are not convinced ask your favourite Martian mathematician for the reason.)
The solution to the optimal layout includes a total number of 63 solar panels.
Click here if you want to see the solution to the optimal layout of the ultimate triboelectric power grid challenge.
This is my final layout to the optimal triboelectric solar panel power grid. The white dots are the power connectors you need to place so that the solar panels are fully power connected. (Double-click on the hex while in power cable mode in order to place them.)
A total number of 63 solar panels with 315.5 raw energy output in total, or even 630 if you are lucky and researched the hypersensitive photovoltaics breakthrough tech. With a maintenance cost of just a single triboelectric scrubber, practically, provided dust repulsion is researched!
Really nice, isn't it? Fusion reactors suddenly look quite lame, if you are asking me.
Another great bonus advantage of this layout besides its little maintenance cost: There will be no cable faults inside the grid because power connectors alone cannot produce them. So no worries regarding cable faults either.
The layout can be varied, of course. By mirroring sides, for instance. But I am sure that this is the optimal solution. No more than 63 solar panels. If you can disprove this, please tell, and I will most likely become earthsick.
Still not being satisfied with the power output of the this power grid?
Indeed, it can be improved even more. Not by changing the layout but by something else.
Somebody thinking about "Artificial Sun"?
Yes, that is a possibility and a good guess but it would give only a minor bonus to the energy production for some solar panels right at the border of the grid. Not bad but also not great.
There is even a better possibility ... but in order to do so we have to enter mystery territory ... so there is just another spoiler ahead. Absolutely don't click it if you want to discover this by yourself!
Have you noticed what the little black cubes can do in the "Power of Three" mystery?
By adding 6 small monuments to the optimal power grid layout (three inside, three outside), the power production can be increased by another 50 percent.
The Tribosolar power grid of the Ancients has a raw power output of 472.5, or 787.5 with hypersensitive photovoltaics.
By adding 6 small monuments to the optimal power grid layout (three inside, three outside), the power production can be increased by another 50 percent.
The Tribosolar power grid of the Ancients has a raw power output of 472.5, or 787.5 with hypersensitive photovoltaics.
Have you managed to find the same optimal power grid layout? Or maybe something else to share? I'd really like to know.
I hope you enjoyed this.
P.S. Just a note for the developers: Too bad there isn't an achievement for this. This was the most tricky thing to do during my whole "Surviving Mars" game experience.
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