What is the best way to distribute power from multiple different types of generators?

[Nullus Maximus]

Hey everyone,

I'm starting to find other sources of power through things like Natural Gas Geysers but am a little confused on how I should approach it.

Currently, I have a couple coal generators that supply quite a sufficient amount of power to a couple smart batteries which distributes it to multiple circuits. However, there is a Natural Gas Geyser really close to my "power plant" (if you can even call it that) that I would like to tap into seeing as it's quite literally free energy over my semi-renewable coal at the moment.

How should I tackle adding this new source of energy into the mix?

Do I connect both the Coal Generators and Natural Gas Generators to the same couple of smart batteries (which turn on at about 20% low, 90% high) or do I want the Natural Gas ones to have their own batteries and create their own grid?

I would prefer to have a single energy source, or battery bank, that I can just add new transformers to when I need a new circuit but having all my generators (coal, natural gas, hydrogen, etc...) turning on and off at the same time because the smart batteries hit 20% doesn't sound quite right. Obviously I would like to use my free renewable resources first such as the Natural Gas, but I don't want to completely ignore coal either since my barbecue farm hatches excrete the stuff.

I feel like I am overthinking it so much that I am overlooking a clear, obvious answer and it's starting bother me.

If anyone could help clear things up, give any suggestions or tips, I would greatly appreciate any support.

Thanks!

[Prince Mandor]

You have multiple batteries, yes? Just set them on different numbers, so one generator (or generator group) start working, than next

if generator create enough power, then battery charges and turn it off. If there are not enough power, then battery continue loosing charge and more generators turns on

[TheMule]

This video contains a discussion of how the standard grid works and also shows an alternative approach:

 

[psusi]

Yep.. I was going to post a link to the thread where that video was posted and discussed, but the video directly works fine too.

[Frater Bartmoss]

My simple setup for using two resources and the same batteries. If hydrogen is running low >> stop the generator and switch the Natural Gas Generator on >> if you have enough hydrogen again >> stop the natural gas and switch. The input can be a smart storage bin as well aka switching between coal and natural gas

2x And Gate + 1x Not Gate

[Gurgel]

I go for one 50kW grid "backbone". Generators can deliver to this by smaller wires via reversed transformers and there is one cooled transformer room near the surface and one near the base.

Some generators run all the time or as available (solar), some run when battery levels get low at different levels (hydrogen, nat gas, hamster wheel, have not used petroleum yet). Also, I usually have a huge cooled battery stack, as solar is intermittent.

[JesusOnEez]

Here's another way to explain pretty much the same thing...

Hook a Smart Bat. up to your Coal Generator(s) and set it to come on at 60/10...you'll want these as backup generators as resources are finite unless you're ranching a lot of Hatches.

Hook a Smart. Bat up to your Natural Gas Generator(s) and set this to 100/60...if you have Natural Gas Geyser(s) then you'll want to prioritise these as resources are infinite. Ideally you'll want to be collecting Natural Gas so you're not limited to the 5Kg per tile limit, that way you can store reserves.

Same goes for when and if you get Hydrogen and Petroleum Generators online. Just use the Smart Battery settings to prioritise what you want to come on first.

All your Generators should feed into a back-bone that then hooks up to Transformers wherever you need power.

Steam Turbines are different as they're generally used for cooling, although I still hook them up to the back-bone...just no Smart Battery...think of them as extra input to your back-bone.

So generally, I'd have this kind of set-up later in the game;

Natural Gas - 100 to 60 on the Smart Battery
Petroleum - 60 to 30
Coal - 30 to 10

Steam Turbines feed directly to back-bone
Solar Power I tend to use on a separate grid for space "stuff".

If I have plenty of Hydrogen, I'll slip that in there somewhere as well, usually between Petroleum and Coal.

There are more complicated systems that can use automation to turn Transformers off when they're not drawing power so they don't generate heat...have a look at Jahws guides on Steam as they go through a lot of this kind of power set-up.