Power production
< Power production | Optimal ratios
This is about how many Boilers, Pumps, Steam engines and also ratios of Solar panel and Basic accumulator (and more).
Hot liquids
Steam engines, pumps and boilers
| Situation | # of steam engines | # of boilers | # offshore pumps | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One steam engine | 1 | 2 | 1 | Could be used in very niche situations |
| One off-shore pump | 10 | 14 | 1 | A very popular and widely-used setup |
| Full throughput of a pipe | max. 21 | max. 28 | 3 | Total throughput depends on the length of the pipe |
Each steam engine needs roughly 1.31 boilers when running at full capacity.
One offshore pump can satisfy 14 Boilers and 10 steam engines. 13 boilers will make the job also, but this tends to have problems to raise the temp after coal shortness or other accidents (Biters love to attack the boilers).
To fully satisfy a pipe you need 3 Pumps or 5 Small pumps (or better 6, but that depends on pressure!). But with this setup you will find, that the length of your pipe-setup will influence this too much. This is definitely not a beginner strategy.
See also
Hot liquids in tanks
To equalize the needed throughput (different needs of energy between day and night for example), hot water from boilers can also be stored in storage tanks and used by extra steam engines during peak times or during night (if solar is in place). This energy storage technique can be used instead of or in addition to accumulators.
See about storing of hot liquids how to use that.
Solar Panels/Accumulators
Optimal ratio
The optimal ratio is 0.84 (21:25) accumulators per solar panel, and 23.8 solar panels per megawatt required by your factory (this ratio accounts for solar panels needed to charge the accumulators).
A "close enough" ratio is 20:24:1 accumulators to solar panels to megawatts required (for example, a factory requiring 10 MW can be approximately entirely powered, day and night, by 200 accumulators and 240 solar panels - this approximation differs from optimal only in that it calls for 2 extra solar panels, which is negligible).
This is taken from Accumulator / Solar Panel Ratio (which calculates this in an impressive mathematical way!) and another post in that thread (which calculates the solar panel to megawatt ratio in a much less impressive way).
There are also these related older threads:
- http://www.factorioforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5168
- http://www.factorioforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=5394
- http://www.factorioforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7619
Perfect placing
- Big Solar Farm: About the perfect placing of panels
- 9x9 Blueprint: A suggestion for a repeatable tile with a 5:6 accumulator to solar panel ratio that happens to coincide with the 20:24 "close enough" ratio above (4 of these tiles can provide 1 MW of continuous power).