Solar panels not working on Eve?

[SirJodelstein]

Not sure if this is a bug or intentional: I have just landed a probe on Eve, and the solar panels are generating only minimal electricity. Not even enough to keep the probe alive. Can someone confirm this? Eve is closer to the sun than Kerbin, so the panels should put out more power, not less, right?

Or are panels now atmosphere-sensitive and Eve thicks atmo is blocking sunlight?

(Exposure: 0.87, Energy Flow: 0.02)

Well, i guess i am not going to transmit all that precious sience

Edited June 2, 2015 by SirJodelstein
Answered + Exposure typo

[Endersmens]

I would guess Eve's thick atmosphere is preventing the panels from receiving very much solar energy, but I haven't tried an eve landing since 1.0 so I can't confirm. Anyone confirm this?

[Windspren]

What's the temperature of the panels? Temperature can affect power production, maybe the reentry heat needs to dissipate?

[cybersol]

The thick Eve atmosphere does affect solar panel performance. I haven't confirmed it myself, but it was mentioned and then tested in a recent thread about an Eve probe at the pole.

[MrDude]

Atmosphere likely blocking a bunch but not nearly as much as the probe body is.

Solar panels are best when highly exposed and directed at the sun. Yours are in a cave and may not point near the sun and thus are shadowed much of the time (let a day or even year pass to see if the sun aligns better.

Right clicking on them gives you details like what is shading them if anything.

[FancyMouse]

I thought the exposure was 0.87 not 8.87?

[SAI Peregrinus]

Just tested, and Eve's atmosphere does block quite a lot. 48 energy in orbit, 12 on the surface, with a gigantor panel pointed straight at a noontime sun.

[-ELF-]

Laythe Dweller stated properly, it might be the temperature at the surface of Eve, which gets the power generation down for panels.

I would guess that closer to the sun solar panels will cease generating power due to overheat.

P.S. Sundive solar-powered probe for !!SCIENCE!! anyone?

[MarvinKitFox]

Or are panels now atmosphere-sensitive and Eve thicks atmo is blocking sunlight?(

Atmosphere does impede solar power

Temperature also does.

.

Your probe is sitting on EVE, quite close to the ocean so about as deep as it can be.

You are sitting at the bottom of a very hot bowl of soup, and trying to operate your lowest tech solar panel through it!

[Feradose]

I really hope lighting gets implemented in the future and we get to see a dimly lit eve surface so players dont have to ask these

[SmashingKirby148]

The thick atmopshere blocking panels thing is true, I think. I had the same thing happen, but I had slightly bigger panels, so I would slowly gain electricity. As I was transmitting, my electricity went down. When it reached 0, It started to build up again. Then, at a certain level of power, it got drained away from transmitting. The only reason I had the same thing happen on Duna is because Duna is further out.

[SirJodelstein]

Thanks for all the answers. Thats a really cool fact I did not know about (and it is not mentioned in the KSP wiki either). Oh well, my space program will survive this failure.