Coal gassification, natgas synthesis

[Coolthulhu]

Coal gassification + water gas shift (because Monoxide Not Included):

Input: steam, coal, power

Output: H2, CO2

 

Fischer–Tropsch process:

Input: H2, coal, power

Output: Natgas, CO2

 

Because coal gen is too eco-friendly with its 40g/s output. Or just buff coal gen's output.

[Cadallin]

I've been wondering this too.

In real life, Coal Gas was basically the first widespread centrally generated artificial power source, before electricity!

Developed cities in the 19th century, London, Paris, NYC, etc, had street lights, before the electric light bulb.  They were coal gas lamps, running on gas piped around the city.  Upper class homes had their own coal gas piping for indoor lighting drawing on the same system, metered like electricity or natural gas today.

Further, the production of coal gas was originally a byproduct, of the much more useful (initially) production of Coke.  Coke is refined coal, and is used in the production of steel and other processes requiring high purity carbon.

 

So really, there should be a coal generator, a gas generator, and a coal gassification machine that produces coal gas (usable like natural gas), and coke, which could be a requirement for producing refined metal, and CO2 emission as byproducts.

It, IMO, makes the power grid development a bit smoother in the mid game, because you could then develop coal gas as a stepping stone to natural gas/petroleum geysers for power.  This is, ironically, even more historically accurate.

My biggest criticism right now is that the tech tree is kind of borked.  You get your colony functional, and then kind of stagnate while you finish researching the tech tree.