Solar panels

[project_zomboid_lover]

Just an idea, i just had an idea (sorry if its a bad idea) wouldn't it be cool if you could have solar panels in the game. imagine you could build up resources to finally craft your own solar panel then you could use the fridge again turn on the lights everything that requires electricity. Give me your thoughts on the idea.      

 

                                                                                                  Thank you for reading     

[Kajin]

I think you should be able to find solar panels, but being able to craft them should be a definite no unless you're doing it with rare, hard to find solar components.

[project_zomboid_lover]

I think you should be able to find solar panels, but being able to craft them should be a definite no unless you're doing it with rare, hard to find solar components.

Yes. They would be very very very ( a lot ) rare parts to find, ment for people that have most likely survived for a long time 

[Rathlord]

Keep in mind that the game doesn't take place modern-day. There's no set date, but in general what I've gleaned is:

 

Before flat screen TV's

Before cell phones were omnipresent

Before the internet was as big as it is now

 

So that means a time where solar panels were much less efficient, much less common, and much less available to consumers. It's still... maybe somewhat plausible to find them, just not sure I'm sold on it.

[project_zomboid_lover]

Keep in mind that the game doesn't take place modern-day. There's no set date, but in general what I've gleaned is:

 

Before flat screen TV's

Before cell phones were omnipresent

Before the internet was as big as it is now

 

So that means a time where solar panels were much less efficient, much less common, and much less available to consumers. It's still... maybe somewhat plausible to find them, just not sure I'm sold on it.

Thanks for informing me. Yes in a sense but we don't know exactly what year it is, but your point makes sense so thank you for telling me.

 

 

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[Geras]

A  windmill to generate electricity then?

[project_zomboid_lover]

A  windmill to generate electricity then? 

Yeah could work but you couldn't build one still a idea though 

[Baron_Woelf]

Keep in mind that the game doesn't take place modern-day. There's no set date, but in general what I've gleaned is:

 

Before flat screen TV's

Before cell phones were omnipresent

Before the internet was as big as it is now

 

So that means a time where solar panels were much less efficient, much less common, and much less available to consumers. It's still... maybe somewhat plausible to find them, just not sure I'm sold on it.

 

Good point! I never thought about that. But as far as I know have solar panels become popular since the oil crisis in the 1970's and therefore hypothetically could be found in pz. How about adding solar panels on a few buildings and giving the player the opportunity to detach/attach them with specific tools (maybe adding the theat of a electric shock hazard if the required skill is too low).

 

A  windmill to generate electricity then?

 

This is also a very good idea, but requires the implementation of wind to the game (what could also bring a couple of nice advantages and disadvantages like fire spread, hearing and smelling distance of zombies).

A windmill definetly could be crafted though. For example by combining planks, sheets, wire, nails and an electric motor (which could be found or dismounted anywhere).

[Rathlord]

That's… not exactly how windmills work, which is why I've been against them in the past. Maybe if there is an eleclrican class and it's locked to them, but it's obvious normal people don't understand how power generation works.

And yah, solar energy has been around for decades, but not NEARLY as prevalent or efficient.

[CaptKaspar]

I've seen solar panels on road signs for decades. Since at least the 90's. They would be a good source of large and accessible solar panels. A few of those, a battery bank, a charge controller (so important) and a DC inverter and you're off to a good start!

 

However, I would imagine the 'average joe' being able to find and then identify a charge controller or a DC inverter is a bit unrealistic. Solar panels and batteries sure, but I don't know about the other required items.

[Baron_Woelf]

That's… not exactly how windmills work, which is why I've been against them in the past. Maybe if there is an electrician class and it's locked to them, but it's obvious normal people don't understand how power generation works.

And yah, solar energy has been around for decades, but not NEARLY as prevalent or efficien.

 

Depending on how deep the realism should go with pz, there is a few things more to consider to build a windmill indeed. This also applies to the solar panels. The basics of crafting a windmill are as described above, but adding buffer batteries and a frequency converter (either for solar panels or windmills) shouldn't be too difficult. I like the idea with the electrician class - this could correspond to a new technical skill 'electrician' (which could be also skilled with books - making the character able to understand how power generation works ). But I don't know if we drift off too much from the basic suggestion here.

[Sterl500]

How about gasoline/diesel generators?

 

Windmills and Solar panels between the 1970s and the late 90s were uncommon, especially in an extremely conservative state like Kentucky. You might find them on buildings like the logging area and possibly electrical relays and powerstations, but they'd be far too bulky to simply carry back to your base and install them.

 

Small generators could be used to power a small home, and with a prevelance of gas, it would be a simple task to keep things running. The gasoline generators are also user friendly. Bigger generators that run off of diesel would be found in warehouses and logging companies. They'd require more knowhow to keep running, but you might be able to use power tools as well as the general appliances. Diesel is noisy, so maybe not such a good idea?

 

Whatever the case, I think generating your own electricity would be a good idea. Heck, if you were really industrious and knowledgable, you might even clear a way to the water purification plant and put the water supply back in good standing.

[Rathlord]

Generators are planned

[Sanctus]

Keep in mind that the game doesn't take place modern-day. There's no set date, but in general what I've gleaned is:

 

Before flat screen TV's

Before cell phones were omnipresent

Before the internet was as big as it is now

 

So that means a time where solar panels were much less efficient, much less common, and much less available to consumers. It's still... maybe somewhat plausible to find them, just not sure I'm sold on it.

So... the 90's?

[Suomiboi]

 

Keep in mind that the game doesn't take place modern-day. There's no set date, but in general what I've gleaned is:

 

Before flat screen TV's

Before cell phones were omnipresent

Before the internet was as big as it is now

 

So that means a time where solar panels were much less efficient, much less common, and much less available to consumers. It's still... maybe somewhat plausible to find them, just not sure I'm sold on it.

So... the 90's?

 

Most likely late 90's/early 00's. Or do you need a definite year for some reason?

[valrix]

After looking over the map a bit it looks like the houses that do have TVs are mostly box-type with maybe 30-40% being flat-screens. That, with the large lack of cell phones (even the old brick phones) and no sign of computers at all, I'd wager it's somewhere around 1995 give or take 2-3 years.

[Rathlord]

I think I remember Mash saying she did the flat-screen models without considering the year, also. I'm not 100% on that, but I think I'm right.

[aperture_tech]

 

A  windmill to generate electricity then? 

Yeah could work but you couldn't build one still a idea though 

 

Look up The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, then tell me that again.

[Kajin]

There's one thing I want to point out that might be relevant. The devs have said they want the timeline to be vague, so why couldn't they include some anachronistic elements? That way they could include elements from a wider range of time to make the game the way they want it to make. This could indeed include having solar panels be somewhat common (relatively speaking, you still wouldn't find a ton of them in-game even if they approached modern numbers).

 

Just my two cents on the matter,

[StrictlyShane]

I'm completely against solar panels and here's why. Apart from the initial "struggle" of finding parts and installation on your base/fort, there's zero negative consequences for having them. At least with a generator it's loud, thus drawing zombies towards you, and would be used sparingly. A generator would also run out of fuel, forcing you to go scavenge for more and enter dangerous situations.

Unless something physically smashes into the thick glass and damages the modules, the only maintenance required with solar panels is cleaning the glass to keep efficiency as high as possible. Even this is only necessary about 4-5 times annually, totaling 20 hours maximum, if I'm being quite generous. Solar panels would just make the game easier, power would just be one less thing to worry about. The game is supposed to be a challenge.

[Kajin]

I'm completely against solar panels and here's why. Apart from the initial "struggle" of finding parts and installation on your base/fort, there's zero negative consequences for having them. At least with a generator it's loud, thus drawing zombies towards you, and would be used sparingly. A generator would also run out of fuel, forcing you to go scavenge for more and enter dangerous situations.

Unless something physically smashes into the thick glass and damages the modules, the only maintenance required with solar panels is cleaning the glass to keep efficiency as high as possible. Even this is only necessary about 4-5 times annually, totaling 20 hours maximum, if I'm being quite generous. Solar panels would just make the game easier, power would just be one less thing to worry about. The game is supposed to be a challenge.

You're wrong on it having no consequences. Apart from the most immediate failings of needing sunlight (rendering them useless a good chunk of the time), one of the biggest concerns would be other people. Solar panels are big, visible, and valuable. If you have one on top of your house it'll make you an instant target for theft. People trying to survive will see that as a big flashing neon sign that says "ROB ME I HAVE VALUABLE SHIT" and thus opens you up to raiders a lot more frequently than you would otherwise.

 

Another problem that might come up (depending on how in depth the devs go with any sort of electrical system) would be maintaining your electrical grid. The solar panels require minimal maintenance, true, but people in the power industry refer to solar panels (and wind energy as well) as something called "variable energy", meaning that the power output is never constant and can vary from day to day. It's not much of a problem when it's part of a larger grid being managed by professionals, but for the budding survivor one of your bigger concerns would be managing your power network. Too much power generated and you run the risk of damaging your appliances. Not enough power generated and you damage your appliances. A battery farm would help mitigate this, but you'd be devoting a lot of time and effort to making sure that you maintain a proper balance of power generated to power consumed or else you're gonna have a whole helluva lot of problems down the line as everything around you starts breaking and failing thanks to the uneven load. With gas generators this isn't a huge problem because the power supplied is constant but with solar it'd be a pretty big issue.

[spikeyhat09]

my personal opinion would be no on placeable solar panels, but rather pre-existing solar panels on maybe 1-2 remote places on the map (and NOT anywhere near one of the wells). then it would serve a function similar to the wells

[CaptKaspar]

...

 

Another problem that might come up (depending on how in depth the devs go with any sort of electrical system) would be maintaining your electrical grid. The solar panels require minimal maintenance, true, but people in the power industry refer to solar panels (and wind energy as well) as something called "variable energy", meaning that the power output is never constant and can vary from day to day. It's not much of a problem when it's part of a larger grid being managed by professionals, but for the budding survivor one of your bigger concerns would be managing your power network. Too much power generated and you run the risk of damaging your appliances. Not enough power generated and you damage your appliances. A battery farm would help mitigate this, but you'd be devoting a lot of time and effort to making sure that you maintain a proper balance of power generated to power consumed or else you're gonna have a whole helluva lot of problems down the line as everything around you starts breaking and failing thanks to the uneven load. With gas generators this isn't a huge problem because the power supplied is constant but with solar it'd be a pretty big issue.

 

 

This is why you need a charge controller, but nobody seems to ever mention that in these threads...probably because the 'average joe' doesn't know.

 

Also no standard appliances will be able to run off a solar panel for a couple of reasons. Primarily because they use AC and a solar panel generates DC current. That's why a DC inverter is required.

 

Solar panel --> Charge controller --> Battery Bank --> DC inverter (that has the appropriate wattage output) --> Appliance.

[archerj2010]

What about a solution where there is a technical manual hidden in the map somewhere...kinda a "solar energy for dummies" sort of thing? No, myself nor anyone I know has a comprehensive grasp of solar mechanics, but I'm sure if i were alone and scavanging for the last month, and knew power failure was immenent, I'd be happy to find the manual that would tell me how I need to approach the scenario.

 

Now that I have the manual, I still need to find everything....good luck doing that.

 

To me, this is the obvious way to approach the "average joe" stipulation.

 

No, the average joe doesnt know how to do the advanced stuff, like solar farms (or my aquaponic garden suggestion from another post), but if someone has the determination and tenacity to survive for any real length of time in a scenario such as this, they should be able to help themselves to a book on the subject.

 

With the "good ol' boy" population of the south, I'm sure there are plenty of printed materials on survival and prepping that would include all kinds of self sufficient guides and whatnot...although not all of the instructions call for things that would be found just laying around the house.

[uberevan]

That's… not exactly how windmills work, which is why I've been against them in the past. Maybe if there is an electrician class and it's locked to them, but it's obvious normal people don't understand how power generation works.

And yah, solar energy has been around for decades, but not NEARLY as prevalent or efficien.

Did...did I just witness Rathlord make a spelling error?  The end times are upon us!  I suppose that's good for us zomboiders...

 

Anyways, on topic, I could see people assembling windmills if certain parts of it were already made, like the generator or gear box, but to completely make one on your own would be tough.

 

As far as harnessing solar energy, I don't know about converting it into electricity that you can use, but I think it could be useful for keeping a greenhouse in the winter, by absorbing the rays through glass and retaining heat.  I also saw a product that heats up enough water for a five minute shower through solar rays alone.  (Not that we particularly need showers in-game)