Besides asthetics, whats the point of solar panels on medium to large craft?

[Agent86]

At 100% exposure approximately 20 of the high power spotlights can run on a single of the smallest panels, producing the equivalent of 2700Watts. NASA wishes they'd have such solar panels.

So the panels are overpowered by at least a factor 10 (and possibly the spotlights are underpowered a bit, drawing to little power for the amount of light they produce). I'm going to see what happens game-play wise when i reduce the panel's efficiency by a factor 10. Might be more of a challenge.

At 100% solar exposure, you shouldn't need spotlights...

[7499275]

Honestly, I prefer panels to RTG's because panels with batteries out put more power and store longer... Anyway, a use for them is depending on mods.

Kethane: Generator

Drills

Scanning

Ioncross:

Air recycling system

Stock:

Lighting

Reaction wheels

I'm sure there is more depending on more mods... I'm just going by the main mods I use personally and what they can be used for. Anyway, hope this helped some.

[GDJ]

Actually, one of the Voyager probes is still transmitting data though they have noted an increased degradation of the RTG due to the thermocouple material degrading along with the fuel slug.

However, it's important to note that the material used for solar collection also wears out as well over time.

Yep. Knew about both Voyagers (both are alive) but Pioneer 9 and 10 are DOA. I've read that it's either thermocouple degradation or fuel slug's being cooler than before. Heck, they've been out there 30+ years?? I think NASA has gotten their money's worth!

True, Solar panels do wear out, but they take a LONG time.

[rkman]

At 100% solar exposure, you shouldn't need spotlights...

Cute, but doesn't mean the panels are not overpowered.

[Kerbin-JP]

Well, panels produce much, MUCH more power than RTGs. I use them for Space Stations and manned stuff. I always have at least 2 RTGs in unmanned probes/landers/vehicles, so that I can deploy panels for more power in the event of a crisis.

In short, panels aren't effective for tiny probes going to Eeloo. They are, however, effective for large space stations or large interplanetary vehicles with lights or torque.

[Tiron]

Ion engines, yes. Rovers, I would disagree. For all but the smallest rovers, it's pretty easy to tuck enough RTGs to supply your necessary power into the structure. Up to the medium-sized wheels, you only need one RTG per powered wheel to keep things running constantly.

There are four rtgs tucked into This rover, placed without using Debug mode. They're laid along the underside of the chassis, yet are still high enough to not bottom out on most planetary terrain.

I tend to put RTGs on anything that's going to land on a world's surface, if I have any expectation of wanting to use the item during the night. Solar panels and batteries can suffice for things that are going to stay in orbit, but enough batteries to keep running even through a 3-hour Kerbin Night is typically not worth it over RTGs.

And of course, then there's that bug that rips off unfurled solar panels when loaded in a planetary atmosphere.

Nuclear rovers are definitely the way to go, in my experience. Partially because their power use is so severe. I tried to do solar at first, but the weight in batteries I needed to get any significant run time in the dark was getting to be nearly as heavy as the RTGs. The bigger factor, though, is that a landed craft spends a lot more time in darkness than an orbiting one, because you're limited to the rotational speed/orbital speed of whatever body you're on to get you out of eclipse. Getting enough batteries on a rover to run all night on Kerbin is...all but impossible. And would weigh way more than just slapping on enough RTGs to power everything all the time.

On an orbiting craft it's less of an issue, because they're generally going around the body substantially faster than its rotational velocity, so it's easier to get enough batteries to keep them running. And unless you're doing a lot of reaction wheel maneuvering or using Ion engines or something, the power use is going to be a trickle anyway.

[lammatt]

because you need power. period.

[jwenting]

I tend to use clusters of RTGs for everything, adding solar panels mostly because they look good IF I can spare the additional weight penalty for them and their batteries. Saves me having to remember to extend the panels, and nothing runs out of electrical power either during the long dark teatime of the soul (for whatever reason everything I do ends up being either on the night side or during eclipses).