The Fuel Cell Array is too big

[mikegarrison]

I didn't even know people even used the fuel cells.

I just skipped over them because solar panels seemed more useful for everything.

Except when you are in a shadow....

[Foxster]

All valid stuff but here's my thinking...

You can drive two ion engines with one fuel cell array, with a smidgen of power left over. But if you just want to use one ion engine on a craft then the array is seemingly wasteful as it is over-powered and overweight for that.

So the obvious choice is to consider using a few single fuel cells. You need 6 of them to power one ion engine. But that weighs more than one array. Making it better to use an array than single cells even though half its power would be unused.

That doesn't quite sit right with me.

- - - Updated - - -

Except when you are in a shadow....

Or visiting the outer planets. Edited July 13, 2015 by Foxster

[windows_x_seven]

I'll have to agree with this one. It doesn't make much sense.