Solar Panel based power system

[baithammer]

Use a combination battery for jump drive and a small fusion drive for trickle charging the battery as well as powering systems during the jump itself as solar doesn't work in jump space.

 

[Condottiere]

The intent is likely that solar panelling is meant to be a minor and auxiliary form of energy production.

Unless it's been errataed over the summer, the wording/rules is vague enough to game the system to massively produce energy, which while not being able to directly power the ship, can be transformed to alternate current by funneling it through the batteries first.

Since presumably they are stalked on arrays that like sunflowers always face the sun, acceleration over one gravity will likely tear them off the main hull.

 

[PsiTraveller]

I am trying to build a stationary power supply to power a habitat. More power could be used to power processing or production modules, or even fuel processing.

Picture a floating factory in space, as close to the sun as needed to give all the free energy you could want, Drones or cargo ships bring in the materials to be processed with the free energy. I am not worried about acceleration. Anyone worked on that scenario before? Is it workable?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Picture a floating factory in space, as close to the sun as needed to give all the free energy you could want, ...

That should not be a problem. As long as you are not accelerating, but simply floating in orbit, you can just extend more solar panels on flimsy structure.

IIRC, current solar panels lose potential rather quickly in space, so you would probably have to replace the panels every 5 - 10 tears?

 

[Condottiere]

Or just maintain them at one tenth of a percent per annum.