Why can't I generate power on the way to the outer solar system?

[Cornholio]

I have sent probes with Gig panels (extended) on the way to Eloo and Jool. Whenever I get far out, they lose electric charge and are inoperable. I am using RemoteTech2 and a few other mods. Is it simply because sun exposure decreases as a you go further away from the sun? Do I just need to load this baby up with tons of solar panels?

[briansun1]

use RTG's...

[Cornholio]

I'm in career mode, those were not unlocked yet. I just want to know WHY, though.

[Skorpychan]

Is it simply because sun exposure decreases as a you go further away from the sun? Do I just need to load this baby up with tons of solar panels?

Yes and yes. Otherwise, grind some science nearer to home, and get RTGs before you go further out.

[relin]

Solar panels lose efficiency the farther you get from Kerbol. It'll be tough to get to the outer bodies without RTGs: you gotta load up on extra panels.

[Cornholio]

Thanks, everyone!

[Dave Kerbin]

Without mods solar panels only lose a percentage of their effectiveness as you near Eeloo's closest passage (50% if memory serves but it could be 75%). However if you are powering a probe core XL panels would be fine in stock, you'd just take a long time to recharge between transmissions unless you have a big battery reserve.

One of the following has happened:

You have a mod installed that changes how solar panels behave

You have a lot of probe cores (unlikely)

Your solar panels are not properly setup to cover all angles and your ship has been left in an orientation where the panels don't recieve sunlight. If you only have 2 XL panels deployed then there are going to be at least 2 blindspots.

[Cornholio]

Actually, of those 3 events, the first 2 are true. I have RemoteTech which I guess modifies how they behave because there's a constant drain on power. The second is true because I'm trying to get the Jool system up and running remotely. Each of my missions is a pack of 5 probes that will decouple and set up around each moon.

[Dave Kerbin]

Even in stock probe cores have a constant drain on power to operate. If you've stacked 5 of them together there is a good chance that the reduced power the solar panels are receiving (due to distance and orientation) isn't enough to cover them all. In that event I believe they all die (a few mods do have a feature to let you disable some probe cores so they aren't all draining power at once, as long as at least one control device like a probe or crew member stays active)

[Streetwind]

Fun fact by the way, the opposite is also true: solar panels gain effectiveness as you approach Kerbol more closely. Down at Moho you get a lot of juice out of very small panels.

[Red Iron Crown]

I've found some oddness in solar panels charging batteries during time warp. The battery drains when warping, even when the panels are oriented properly. Pop out of time warp and they start charging the battery immediately. It doesn't happen every time, and I haven't isolated the conditions that cause it.

[Starstrider42]

Actually, of those 3 events, the first 2 are true. I have RemoteTech which I guess modifies how they behave because there's a constant drain on power. The second is true because I'm trying to get the Jool system up and running remotely. Each of my missions is a pack of 5 probes that will decouple and set up around each moon.

RemoteTech does not modify anything related to the solar panels, so that's not the culprit. What other mods do you have?

Also, can you right click on one of your panels and report the illumination (I think that's what it's called) and the energy generation rate? The ratio of the two will tell you if you're using the stock (and very, very gentle) solar panel curve, or if it's been modded.

[Cerberus738]

I've found some oddness in solar panels charging batteries during time warp. The battery drains when warping, even when the panels are oriented properly. Pop out of time warp and they start charging the battery immediately. It doesn't happen every time, and I haven't isolated the conditions that cause it.

I've seen this too. i've also switched craft and come back and the craft was dead but started charging immediately.

[technion]

I'm guessing remote tech is a significant strain because although, yes, a panel's effectiveness slows down as you get further out, I've been to eeloo without RTGs and didn't have a problem - just a few panels and batteries.

[sonicsst]

I believe he meant that the antennae and dishes from RemoteTech2 constantly draw a lot of power, not that it changes the solar panels.

[Endersmens]

i've experienced a similar time warp solar panel bug. It has only happened on eve though. My panels weren't near enough to recharge for transmissions, i was losing like 5 charge a second and i only had 100 electric charge units. but time warping to 2x slowed the drainage, and going to 3x recharged my battery in about 4 seconds during a transmission. i didn't test 4x for the sake of me liking my ships not blowing up. but i'm sure it would've charged faster.