I would like to ask (preferably the top 10 Builders of the game if they are kind enough to provide their input) whether anyone has resorted or is considering to resort to Solar Sats for energy production, given their advantages and disadvantages, or they still use and will be using ground based energy infrastructure.

I am using ground based energy structures as about 85-90% of my energy production. I will stick with buildings as my main source as they are reliable. However, on planets where my Deuterium Synthesisers are exceeding level 25 it becomes much easier and cheaper to just build a few hundred Solar Sats. Combined with an average pile of turrets, most players won't strike it because of the tiny, if any, profit it yields. Unless, you are stupid enough to leave res lying on it.

Never use Solar Sats as the majority of your energy output though. Big mistake.

-Istalris-

Here's what I was thinking, in more detail:
As ground based energy buildings become expensive and slow to build as their level increases, I was wondering if it's better to invest in solar sats together with the equivalent defenses, taking into account that you won't leave res on the planet, of course
I have the following practical case:
After sadbutrue destroyed the solar sats that I used to research graviton, some good 1,700 solar sats remained, that provide something like 20,000 energy. I simply assume they don't exist, and count only on my ground based energy buildings up to now.
From that time onwards, almost everyone who is capable of attacking me has probed the planet, but no attack has taken place up to now, most probably because it is unprofitable to do so. In addition, the planet has a reasonable amount of defenses, I would call "light to moderate", compared to other player's planets I 've seen. It's in no way a heavily defended "turtle" planet.
If I did the same on all my planets, i.e. raise the defenses to match this one and build 1,700 solar sats, it would be a cheap way of forgetting about energy requirements for a long time.
Plus, I would have more available fields for mines.

Maybe, i wouldn't reccomend it though. Especially with upcoming rapid fire. A good few bombers will easily make a profit from you, not to mention if you are doing it on all planets. You may wake up one morning to find a lot of red energy values.

Remember- As the ground based plants increase in cost so do the mines. By the time the ground based energy infrastructure becomes economically unviable, i doubt you will be aiming to increase your mining infrastructure much more anyway.

-Istalris-

I wasn't aware people got their mines that high anyways o.O My highest is like a 25/23/17...I thought everyone relied on raiding?

Maybe I'm just weird, then

Some players rely solely on mines for their empire with a fleet just to save res. Level 30 mines put out tons of res.

yeah the mines pay for themselves over time i mainly buy fleets with res i raided and buy mines with mining res

Slash wrote:Some players rely solely on mines for their empire with a fleet just to save res. Level 30 mines put out tons of res.

Too true. Mining is pretty effective. I've done it since the start and as a result have high level mines (27+ for metal) on all my planets. Working on level 32 on two, i doubt there will be any point going higher though.

-Istalris-

Although I am not a top 10 player, you may consider having a few hundred on your planet so when you do move your mines up, you can apply the power to run them while your solar plant or fusion reactor are building. Then shut them off. They are also a cheap source of defense. Consider them a useless RL that you stll have to destroy to get thru. They can absorb nothing, but it does take one shot to kill it away from your other defenses or reliable fleet.

Just a suggestion from a non top-10 player

Spankie wrote:Although I am not a top 10 player, you may consider having a few hundred on your planet so when you do move your mines up, you can apply the power to run them while your solar plant or fusion reactor are building. Then shut them off. They are also a cheap source of defense. Consider them a useless RL that you stll have to destroy to get thru. They can absorb nothing, but it does take one shot to kill it away from your other defenses or reliable fleet.

Just a suggestion from a non top-10 player

Yes, though with the arrival of Rapid Fire, sats will get chewed up pretty darn quick. As for backup power, useful, though i always check the energy requirements of a mines level up before i build it and contruct the necassary energy plants.

-Istalris-