Energy Exchanger

From DSP Wiki
Energy Exchanger
Power Transmission
The power conversion facility. Can not only store the surplus electric energy in the power grid into an empty accumulator to make a full accumulator; it can also release the electric energy stored in the full accumulator.
Icon Energy Exchanger.png
Input Power54.0 MW
Output Power54.0 MW
Accumulated540.0 MJ
Made InAssembler
Hand-MakeReplicator
Stack Size20

Icon Energy Exchanger.png
1
15 s
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40
Icon Steel.png
40
Icon Processor.png
40
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8

Summary

The Energy Exchanger is a facility whose purpose is to charge and discharge Accumulators automatically. Although the associated technology is Interstellar Power Transmission, which makes it sound like it can beam energy through space. It merely puts excess energy into Accumulators or discharges energy from them.

The Energy Exchanger has three modes of operation: Charge, Idle, and Discharge.

  • In Charge mode, the Energy Exchanger accepts empty Accumulators and uses energy from the power grid (up to 45 MW) to rapidly charge them into Full Accumulators. External logistics (e.g. Conveyor Belts, Planetary Logistics Stations, and Interstellar Logistics Stations) can then send the Full Accumulators to other destinations.
  • In Discharge mode, the Energy Exchanger accepts Full Accumulators and releases their energy into the power grid at 45 MW. Empty Accumulators can be removed from it and sent back to Energy Exchangers in Charge mode to be refilled.

Production Chain

Recipe Building Replicator? Technology
Icon Energy Exchanger.png
1
15 s
Icon Titanium Alloy.png
40
Icon Steel.png
40
Icon Processor.png
40
Icon Particle Container.png
8
Icon Assembling Machine Mk.I.pngIcon Assembling Machine Mk.II.pngIcon Assembling Machine Mk.III.pngIcon Re-composing Assembler.png
Tech Interstellar Power Transmission.png

Player Tips & Tricks

  • By harvesting energy on planets with high solar or wind efficiency, the player can gather large amounts of energy and send it to other planets.
  • The number of Accumulators necessary to facilitate long-distance power transmission is large. Be prepared to build many Accumulators for this dedicated purpose.
  • The Energy Exchanger will consume up to 45 MW when filling Accumulators, filling an Accumulator in 6 seconds at full power. If the power available in the power grid is less than 45 MW, then the Energy Exchanger will consume only as much power is remaining, resulting in slower charge times. Ensure a stable power supply to prevent interruptions in Accumulator distribution networks.
  • The Energy Exchanger will always discharge at its maximum 45 MW rate (unless that exceeds the total power usage of the grid). This means when powering a world using Energy Exchangers from an off-world source, the Energy Exchangers are the primary power source for the network and all others are secondary. This means that other power generators will have lower demand, causing them to slow down or even stop. If the player is using Thermal Power Stations to burn excess materials, the Energy Exchanger may lead to bottlenecks that halt production. To prevent this, have an additional array of Energy Exchangers on the same network in Charge mode, and have the Exchangers in Discharge mode prioritize moving Accumulators around just that planet, rather than any off-world sources. This ensures that excess energy is continuously removed from and added back to the grid instead of pulling energy from off-world, thereby ensuring other power generators remain at full output. The off-world source will only be used if the network's power demands grow too large for the other energy sources on the network.
  • Since the Energy Exchanger's power output is constant, it is not intended to balance the power grid (as stated above, it simply reduces the load on other power sources, rather than reducing its own load). However, it can still be used for this purpose nonetheless. This is done by building a conveyor loop that is completely occupied by filler items, with a secondary conveyor loop carrying Accumulators between the Energy Exchangers. When the power grid's needs are not met, the Sorters outputting filler items will slow down, allowing Full Accumulators to make their way to the discharging Energy Exchanger. A more in-depth explanation can be found here.
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