Solar Sail: Difference between revisions

[[Solar Sail]]s are consumable items required to create a[[Dyson_Sphere#The_Dyson_Swarm| Dyson swarm]]. After the player has designed an orbit in the Dyson sphere editor, an [[EM-Rail Ejector]] can Solar Sails into that orbit. The energy transmitted by Solar Sails can only be collected using a [[Ray Receiver]]. Additionally, once a [[Dyson Sphere#The Dyson Shell|Dyson shell]] is designed and enough [[Small Carrier Rocket|Small Carrier Rockets]] have been launched, Solar Sails will automatically integrate into the Dyson shell.

Solar Sails have a limited lifespan of 5400s (1.5h). This can be upgraded to up to 9000s (2.5h) by researching the [[Solar_Sail_Life_(Upgrade)|Solar Sail Life]] upgrades. Once a Solar Sail becomes part of a Dyson shell, its lifespan becomes indefinite.

The energy generated by a Solar Sail depends on the star's luminosity. Unlike real life, the energy generated does ''not'' depend on the distance from the star. Around a star with a luminosity of 1.0, a single Solar Sail generates 36 kW. Each structure point in the Dyson shell yields 96 kW, and each solar cell yields ~15 kW of power (both multiplied by luminosity).

A single EM-Rail Ejector firing continuously can maintain a maximum of 1800 Solar Sails in orbit with their default lifespan of 5400s. Around a star with a luminosity of 1.0, this generates 64.8 MW.

Since Solar Sails have a limited lifespan, the power production of a Dyson swarm is dependent on the supply of new Solar Sails into orbit. If Solar Sails are not produced and launched faster than they expire, the swarm's power generation will decrease until it reaches 0.

<code>Solar Sails Per Minute = ( Target Power ) / (Lifetime of Solar Sail * Star Luminosity * 600)</code>