Solars
The Solar Arrays are backup power source. They are very useful if the Engine is nonfunctional for some reason. As name suggests, solar arrays generate electrical power from sun. While they won't generate as much as other power sources, they are reliable and don't require maintenance if properly set up.
Locations
There are five solar arrays on the station:
- Fore - Located in northern section of EVA Maintenance.
- Fore Port - Located in Arrivals Maintenance, right next to the Primary Tool Storage.
- Fore Starboard - Located in Bar Maintenance, above the Garden.
- Aft Port - Located in Engine Maintenance, south of Drone Fabrication and Waste Handling. In case of Engine failure this solar is usually damaged.
- Aft Starboard - Located in Science Maintenance, east of Xenoflora Research.
Connecting the Arrays
Required Tools
Several (preferrably yellow) cable coils.
A space suit or hardsuit (with oxygen supply).
Insultated Gloves
Wiring Setup
None of the five solar arrays are connected to the station at the start. You will need to connect the solar panels and the solar tracker to the wire leading from the station.
To wire a tile, hold a cable coil in hand and click an adjacent tile, this will add a wire radiating from the center of the selected tile toward your current position. You will see a tiny red "knot" in the center of the tile, when extending the wire across the tile, make sure to click the knot in order to form a straight wire. Make sure the wire coil is in your hands when you click the knot (wiring is often learnt by trial and error).
Using this method, connect the solar arrays and solar tracker to the station. Having excessive knotting in your wiring can sometimes cause power loss, and other such nasties. Knots are best left avoided altogether for this reason - wire your junctions the same way the solar panels are already connected together, with the curving wires. You can also rewire the control room to remove the knots using this same method.
Calibration
As station is orbiting local sun, solar arrays have to be calibrated properly. Usually, the easiest way is simply opening the solar array control console, and pressing the "Auto" button. If you correctly finished the wiring step, solars should automatically calibrate themselves. Also, please note that station blocks sunlight. This means output of solar array is fluctuating between 0 and 90 000 Watts. To compensate, the SMES power storage units are used.
SMES Setup
SMES units store power generated by solar array and send it to the main grid. As solar arrays are often used as backup power source it is reccomended to leave the SMES output offline, until they are needed. Optimal SMES settings are:
- 90 000W Input, charging mode Auto.
- 40 000W Output, charging mode Offline.
This will ensure the SMESs charge as backup power source, which will be ready should Engine failure occur. If this happens, simply turn the SMES outputs to Online. Alternatively the station AI may do this, if your station is equipped with one. With all five solar arrays online station should have at least 200 000 Watts of power, which is enough to operate life support, AI and other important systems.
Solar Maintenance
Space is full of dangers. While solar arrays provide reliable power source, they may be easily damaged by meteors or other dangers. This section will explain how to repair the array.
Wiring Damage
This problem may be easily fixed by replacing damaged/missing wiring.
Solar Panel(s) Damage
Each solar panel is covered by double glass sheet. If this sheet was damaged it has to be replaced. Crowbar the broken glass out and replace it. If the panel was completely destroyed obtain replacement solar panel assembly. Few assemblies should be in Engineering Storage, alternatively contact Cargo department to order more. Wrench the assembly in place and add protective glass sheets.
Solar Tracker Damage
Solar tracker is special piece of machinery which ensures the solar array is properly aligned. If it's destroyed it has to be replaced. Obtain new solar panel assembly, wrench it in place and then insert solar tracker circuit board. Then add two glass sheets and your new tracker is finished.
Please note that it is not reccomended to have more than one tracker for each solar array.
SMES Damage
SMES units are very expensive to replace. For more information on this complex piece of machinery refer to SMES Manual.
Please note that solar arrays should NEVER be wired into the main grid. If there are two or more arrays in same grid, controllers conflict which usually results in both arrays ceasing to function.
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