How to fix bug with electricity generation?

[Steal823]

I have a spaceplane that uses the giant solar panels to create electricity for the ore to fuel converter, but for some reason it only generates 5% of the electricity it should. According to the panel itself, it has a energy flow of 16, but my total electricity levels are going up by 0.8. The panels were extended from an open cargo bay but after testing it is still affect by the bug where even they are placed. This seems to affect all other electricity sources, but at different rates (10% for RTG, 20% for OX-STAT). I built a small test craft on the launch pad that generated at the right speeds, but even trying to launch the spaceplane from the launch pad instead of the runway still gives it the bugged electricity generation.

Has anyone else had this problem or knows a solution?

[impyre]

It's hard to tell what you're asking about here... your statements are a little confusing. I created some test vessels on the runway and had no issues. All panels were operating nominally. That being said, "nominal" operation and "rated" operation are two different things. Ratings give "ideal" values, which will be off the mark... more or less depending on your situation. Partial occlusion may be a thing now. Panel output varies with distance to sun, and heat buildup also decreases their effectiveness. In my test rig, as panel temperature approached 500, I was only getting about 80% of nominal output (vs a panel in the same situation with the same exposure at sea level temps of around 300). And since nominal output was only about 87.5% of rated output, then output at tested heat level was around 70% of rated output. That said, the ore converter generates quite a bit of heat... it's possible that the heat is decreasing your power generating capability. "my total electricity levels are going up by 0.8"... well, that could be perfectly normal... it depends on your energy balance... how much electricity you're using versus how much you're generating. If you're using the converter to refine ore into LFO, I'd highly recommend supplementing solar panels with fuel cell arrays.

EDIT: Also don't forget to consider all potential uses of electricity, like reaction wheels, probe cores, lights (even landing gear lights), and possibly other parts if you have mods which introduce electricity dependent parts.

Edited May 4, 2015 by impyre