FreeThinker

A new beta 1.15.1.15 is now available from here Changelog * Added improved performance and gui beamed power receiver * Balance: Thermal receives are no longer negatively affected by Wasteheat accumulation * Fixed Limited receiver to their maximum capacity * Fixed Wasteheat is only generated on beamed power receivers when the power is used

@Rodger It is only incompatible if you attempt putting a FuelSwitch and configurable container on the same part. Texture switches are unaffected Besides that IFS has PatchManager support which allows you to disable the patch which is responsible for adding fuel switch to all stock tanks

@EricL Instead of showing screenshots, could you make an overview of the universe. Showing Galaxies and Stars

Latest beta 1.15.1.14 can be downloaded from here Changelog * Fixed issue of Thermal Engine not function correctly with Thermal Receiver

Correct the propulsion engines directly use the reactors energy to generate thrust and therefore don't need intermediate power transfer that cause large amount of wasteheat. The still have inefficiencies but does not translate into wasteheat accumulation. The big disadvantage is that method of propulsion is less flexibly. For instance you cannot beam energy to other vessels. Another exception might be charged partices which might be quite effective at propelling vessels at short distances, but it is not implemented yet. correct, thermal turbojet and ramjet are you best options here

Yes you can power all electric equipment on solar panels only but solar power is a lot less powerful most of the time. A noticeable exception is if you build thermal solar power station in low kerbol/sun orbit and beam the power around your solar system. Electric engine can run well on solar power because they can run in timewarp mode, allowing you to burn of a months into a few seconds. What is also possible are hybrid solution in which you combine solar power with fusion propulsion like the Magneto Inertial Fusion Engine, which can use solar power and use it to produces fusion explosion to generate thrust. This usual y involves using processes that produces only or mostly charged particles as the can be converted directly into electric power at high efficiencies (90%) and are less affected by wasteheat buildup.

Reactor work by converting a fuel in a higher energy state to a waste product into a lower energy state. The energy output is Thermal energy and Charged particles. The Thermal Energy and charge particles can then be used to directly be used for propulsion (with thermal, plasma or magnetic nozzles) or converted into Electric power using power generators. Some reactors have integrated power generator but most most reactors need to be directly connected with external power generators to make them function. Power generator generators produce Megajoules (which is about 1000 more powerfull as ElectricCharge) which is more than just another resource, it also has prioritization and buffering system. Besides megajoules, it also produces ElectricCharge depending on it needs. Every conversion from one form of energy into another form produces wasteheat because of efficiency loses. When Wasteheat accumulates it affect the performance of electric power devices, limiting their capacity and efficiency. Some parts are affected more than others. To prevent to high levels of wasteheat, you need to get rid of the wasteheat or to sustainable levels. This is achieved by equipping your vessel with sufficient amount of radiators that dissipate wasteheat into space.

KSPIE is diverse and it realy depends on your unlocked techs and intended mission which parts would be best. Every reactor and engine has advantages and disadvantages, some of them might not be obvious to new players, but in general you can apply some common sense. Looking only at power output, thrust or isp is often no the best strategy, properties like latency, waste-heat efficiency, radiation and fuel flexibility can make or break a mission. KSPI is build on the philosophy of modularity and flexibility. Parts work together to achieve a goal, this can make it more complex for new players but it also allows for much more customization and freedom. The complexity isn't thrown at you all at once, but will be unlocked over time. Reactor technology alone is not enough to get the most out of KSPI, other tech branches like Electrics, Storage, Heat-management, energy science and computer tech allow you to create much more rounded vessels.

Latest beta 1.15.1.13 can be downloaded from here Changelog * Improved Interface Beamed Power receivers * Fixed issue with Cryo cooling being initially turned off * Fixed issue with Thermal Power receiver wings not generating enough thermal power

Well at least you have some fun finding out

Then they are treated as separate Not sure what happened, possibly power was absorbed by beamed power receiver but not used. For example, the 2 forward thermal receivers in the front might have absorbed power not provided the power to where you have to use it. Here is the latest beta of KSPI 1.15.1.12 and can be downloaded from here Changelog * Improved Beamed Power Interface,(master is now able to see all slaves) * Added SpotsizeMultiplier of 1.22

@RoverDude Alright, alright, obviously I'm alone in this, I will remove all cost from ElectricCharge and MegaJoule and use an alternative solution. It only applies to CKAN configurations the core version of IFS is basically only the plugin Folder of IFS, nothing more.

Actually, the reason they are defined in IFS is that they are required to make them function correctly. For instance, the cost of electric charged is used by the Super Capacitator to automatically convert between ElectricCharge and Megajoules. If I move this modification to KSPI, this part would no longer function.

Although it might have started as a pure fuel switching mod it much more than that. It is slowly growing into something that might be described as a Storage Solution Mod. Perhaps it an idea to split it up into a pure Switch mod, which would be free of any MM script or balance tweaks and separate Interstellar Storage Module for KSPIE.

So you can build a solar farm. Given the low value of electric charge, That would be a cheesy way to make a tiny amount of credits. Essentially what you do it trade time into credits. The same happens if you start mining for resources anywhere. In my view, the real problem is that stock KSP gives you back the same value as bought it. In the real world, this never happens. A possible solution would introduce a part module which would decrease the value of a part after being bough. and it would reduce in value after being used longer. This is indeed a good idea and planned something similar for KSPI reactors which despite getting radiated, still sold for the same value as you bought, which is insane.