Editing Guide to power (section)

=== Connecting Solars to the Grid ===

There are two main schools of thought when wiring the solar arrays: 

* use the Solar SMESs to distribute power into the grid
* wire the solar array directly into the power grid

==== Distributing via SMESs ====

Distributing solar power through the SMESs is the generally preferred method of wiring the solars, mainly because it provides a steady power output and requires no extra wiring. One benefit of the pre-laid wiring to the SMES is that during a night cycle of the solar array the Engineer does not need insulated gloves to wire the solar array.

While the maximum power generation of a given solar array is 90 kW, it is advised to set SMES inputs to slightly lower level to account for solar panels that might break during the course of the shift.  
For example, setting the SMES input levels to 85.5 kW may not collect all 90 kW produced by the array, but allows for the SMES to charge even when up to three panels get broken on the array.  
Otherwise, should the Engineer set SMES input levels to 90 kW and should a single panel get hit by space debris and break, the array will always produce less than 90 kW, so the SMES with a required 90 kW input will not charge.  
  
The output on the SMES should be at most 50% of the input level due to the revolution of the station around the local star (percentage estimated but unconfirmed). Since the solar has to collect enough energy in the day cycle of the array to output for both day and night, it's usually good to round down a little more. Additionally, if the solar is initially wired during its day cycle, it typically won't be able to collect enough to keep it charged for the first night cycle, resulting in a little bit of lag in the output of the solars.  
For example, if the input is set to 85500 W (85.5 kW), the output shouldn't be bigger than 42750 W (42.75 kW). Typically, 40 kW is a good round number for long-term power output.  
  
If more power storage is desired, say in the initial stage of the set-up, the engineer may want to reduce or even eliminate power output for the first few solar cycles, before setting the long-term power output. 
  
Once all four Solar SMESs are adequately charged and outputting long-term power, they will provide a very dependable power output with almost no oversight needed. In our example, the station would receive 160 kW (4 arrays x 40 kW SMES output) from solars, which is usually more than enough to sustain the station on its own without the engine. This system is also modular, so that even if only three out of four Solar SMESs are used, the total power output is reduced accordingly but still completely steady.

That being said, if unchecked, power sinks can drain the solar SMESs, which if depleted would need to go through a solar cycle again before being able to provide steady, adequate power to the station.  
  
The biggest failure of the Solar SMES system is more often the fault of the Engineer, not the power sink. A rookie Engineer usually sets input levels and output levels too high or too low to meaningfully sustain the station, and/or fails to re-set the SMESs to a more adequate output level after initially charging the SMES.
  
'''Pros:''' Steady power supply, no additional wiring necessary, stores power, modular, does not require insulated gloves.

'''Cons:''' Lag due to first night cycle and initial SMES charging, prone to being set up improperly, some power loss to correct for potentially broken panels, can be drained by power sinks.

==== Wiring to the Grid ====

Wiring the solar arrays directly to the grid is often used as a more straight-forward approach to hooking up the solars, which benefits the Engineer by bypassing the intricacies of the SMES and generating a generally larger power output but at the expense of a less steady, less modular electrical source. This is often helpful in the emergency circumstances where the supermatter crystal has delaminated, taking out the whole of Engineering with it, or when the Singularity or Tesla gets loose.

To achieve this, the Engineer usually just wires together the cable leading from the array directly to the cable leading out from the solar maintenance room. Typically, insulated gloves are a necessity since the Engineer will need to tap the solar power lines into the main power grid. However, as easy as that sounds, rookie Engineers tend to mangle the wiring so much that the array power lines never make it to the grid.

Once all the arrays are wired, and because of the day-night cycle, on average, about two solar arrays worth of power will be generated at any given time, equating to about 180 kW of power. However, the exact number will fluctuate depending on how much light reaches individual panels. Additionally, if not all of the solars are wired to the grid, the output will be drastically lower and may cause brown outs in the station.  
  
On the plus side, wiring the solars directly to the grid prevents wiring sabotage since anyone cutting the wires also needs insulated gloves. Also, power sinks pose little risk as the solar power is immediate and not distributed from an SMES.

'''Pros:''' Straight-forward explanation, avoids setting SMES, deters sabotage, acts as primary power source, not prone to power sinks.

'''Cons:'''  Minor fluctuations in power if fully implemented, severe fluctuations if incompletely implemented, requires insulated gloves, often incorrectly wired.

==== Dual-Wiring: The Best of Both Worlds ====

There is another, less used option that utilizes the benefits from both wiring ideologies while mitigating the risk: dual-wire the solar arrays both to the Solar SMESs and directly into the grid at the same time.

Initially, the Engineer would want to charge the SMESs enough to where they could give an adequate supply of power. Then, if the Engineer is skilled enough at wiring, both the SMES and the solar arrays can be wired to the grid at the same time. Since the station only draws about 150 kW, but the solars wired to grid produce 180 kW, there's a spare 30 kW to split between the Solar SMESs for recharging. Setting all four Solar SMESs to charge at 6 kW is feasible (reduced from 7.5 kW to account for broken solar panels). The output setting on the SMES can be any value so long as the station draws full power from the solars wired directly. This effectively makes the Solar SMESs a backup power source.

The drawbacks though are that the Solar SMES input levels should not be put higher than 6 kW since a Solar SMES located at an array going through the night cycle will attempt to draw power from a Solar SMES higher upstream in the [[#power queue]], cannibalizing the power from that SMES. 

Also, the 2 conventional Backup SMESs can't be charged for the same reason of the power queue. However, since the 4 Solar SMESs act as backups, this trade-off is in favor of the dual-wiring of the solars.

The Solar SMESs will still be prone to power sinks, but since the solars are wired directly to the grid it doesn't matter much. 

The drawback that all solars must be wired directly to the grid to prevent severe fluctuation. The same is not true of the SMES-side of this set-up. Each SMES acts like an independent backup, so any undesired SMESs don't have to be set, making the system semi-modular.

'''Pros:''' acts primary and backup power source, deters sabotage, resistant to power sinks, semi-modular, resistant to brownouts

'''Cons:''' severe fluctuations if incompletely implemented, requires insulated gloves, often incorrectly wired, requires initial charging and follow up on the SMESs before implementation