===[[File:2011-08-30_02.08.21.png|thumb|The Engines that you can use.]]===
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The simplest power station has 1 Wooden Conductive pipe, at least 1 Conductive pipe of some other kind, 1 Engine, and a Redstone source.
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There are many ways to build a power station, but it really is dependent on your individual requirements for power. I've found that building power stations that are modular in design, where it is easy to either stack the stations on top of each other with a common output, or to add an additional set of engines to increase power output, is easiest and most convenient for most of my power needs.
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You can use any of the engines, however the Combustion Engine seems to be the most efficient for power generation. The first problem with Combustion Engines is you will need something to burn in them. You can burn Fuel, Oil, and Lava in the Combustion Engine (there may be more but these are the three I know of). Fuel is the most efficient fuel for the Combustion Engine, second being Oil, and Lava bringing in the rear. With Fuel it is generating power through the whole cycle, with a bit of a boost at one point, with Oil the power generation stops for a brief moment through the cycle, and with Lava, the Combustion Engine is only generating power for half of the cycle time.
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The second problem with Combustion Engines is they will blow up if they get too hot. You will need to either manually add buckets of water, or pump water in to cool them off or keep them cool.
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If you opt to use Combustion Engines, it is recommended to find an Oil deposit and pump the Oil to a Refinery to get Fuel. The catch 22 is you'll need power to make Fuel.
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Steam Engines will run on anything that a standard Furnace will run on. Coal, Charcoal, Logs, Sticks, Wood Blocks, Note Blocks, Jukebox, Crafting Table... (if it is made out of wood, it'll burn). While Steam Engines aren't the engine of choice for the power hungry, I've found that 4 Steam Engines will give my builder a yellow, and often a green beam.
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Since Steam and Combustion Engines consume resources, It may be a good idea to look into gate controls that only activate your engines when the power is needed, and to turn them off when it is no longer required.
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Redstone Engines only require a redstone power source to run. They are the weakest of all the engines as far as power generation, although in theory, if you get enough of them together... I tested a plant made only with Redstone Engines, and with 28 of them, they still weren't producing as much power as 4 Steam Engines. (I believe this has more to do with power loss in the pipes than actual output variance, just my opinion.)
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If you also use the Forestry mod, there are other Engines provided there, all of which seem feasible for power plants.
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Here are two images showing the front and back of a modular extention to a Combustion Engine plant I use when I require a lot of power to run a lot of things in Creative Mode. If I find I need more power, I just use a builder with the extention blueprint in the right spot to add 4 more Combustion Engines to the plant. The various gates are used to activate the fuel/water pumps, and to turn the engines on or off, along with safeties that only allow the engine to run if it is blue.
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[[File:Modular_Combustion_Engine_Extention_Back.png|thumb|Backside of the module, showing pipes, and pipe wires.]]
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[[File:Modular_Combustion_Engine_Extention_Front.png|thumb|left|Front Side of Module, the gates that are currently lit are indicating that the engines need fuel and water. ]]
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The best thing you can do to make a power plant is to enter creative mode, and fiddle with it till you come up with a design you like. Once you have it, use the Architect Table with Survey Markers to make a blueprint of the build, and save it to your Blueprint Library. Then you can access it from whatever world you are in.
===Other Requirements===
===Other Requirements===
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Epic Boredom.
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At least one Large Chest full of Gold Conductive Pipes (or other conductive pipes); at least 2 months; and 9 buckets.
==Options==
==Options==
Revision as of 05:07, 20 March 2012
The Power Grid is modeled after a real-life electricity grid. There are power generating stations, and methods of transporting and generating said power using Conductive Pipes. In addition, when a Power Grid is designed, it is incredibly convenient to create a machine - just tap into your friendly local Power Grid!
There are many reasons to create a Power Grid, which will be added by other people. However, they are extremely big, which can be an eyesore, and a huge source of lag. Use it at your risk, and try not to make one if you have a slow or bad computer, as you will literally die of lag.
Reasons to make a Power Grid.
You are testing lots of new design ideas in Creative Mode, which require a lot of power.
You have nothing better to do.
You are looking for new and creative ways to waste your resources.
You want to do it because you think it sounds like a good idea... (It really isn't. If you calculate in power losses for the distance covered... see #3.)
Requirements
To build a Power Grid, Massive amounts of Gold Conductive Pipe, Boredom, and large amounts of time with nothing better to do.
Gold Pipe
Gold Bar
Glass
Gold Bar
= 8 Gold Pipe, + 8 Redstone
= 8 Gold Conductive Pipe.
Power Station
The Engines that you can use.
The simplest power station has 1 Wooden Conductive pipe, at least 1 Conductive pipe of some other kind, 1 Engine, and a Redstone source.
There are many ways to build a power station, but it really is dependent on your individual requirements for power. I've found that building power stations that are modular in design, where it is easy to either stack the stations on top of each other with a common output, or to add an additional set of engines to increase power output, is easiest and most convenient for most of my power needs.
You can use any of the engines, however the Combustion Engine seems to be the most efficient for power generation. The first problem with Combustion Engines is you will need something to burn in them. You can burn Fuel, Oil, and Lava in the Combustion Engine (there may be more but these are the three I know of). Fuel is the most efficient fuel for the Combustion Engine, second being Oil, and Lava bringing in the rear. With Fuel it is generating power through the whole cycle, with a bit of a boost at one point, with Oil the power generation stops for a brief moment through the cycle, and with Lava, the Combustion Engine is only generating power for half of the cycle time.
The second problem with Combustion Engines is they will blow up if they get too hot. You will need to either manually add buckets of water, or pump water in to cool them off or keep them cool.
If you opt to use Combustion Engines, it is recommended to find an Oil deposit and pump the Oil to a Refinery to get Fuel. The catch 22 is you'll need power to make Fuel.
Steam Engines will run on anything that a standard Furnace will run on. Coal, Charcoal, Logs, Sticks, Wood Blocks, Note Blocks, Jukebox, Crafting Table... (if it is made out of wood, it'll burn). While Steam Engines aren't the engine of choice for the power hungry, I've found that 4 Steam Engines will give my builder a yellow, and often a green beam.
Since Steam and Combustion Engines consume resources, It may be a good idea to look into gate controls that only activate your engines when the power is needed, and to turn them off when it is no longer required.
Redstone Engines only require a redstone power source to run. They are the weakest of all the engines as far as power generation, although in theory, if you get enough of them together... I tested a plant made only with Redstone Engines, and with 28 of them, they still weren't producing as much power as 4 Steam Engines. (I believe this has more to do with power loss in the pipes than actual output variance, just my opinion.)
If you also use the Forestry mod, there are other Engines provided there, all of which seem feasible for power plants.
Here are two images showing the front and back of a modular extention to a Combustion Engine plant I use when I require a lot of power to run a lot of things in Creative Mode. If I find I need more power, I just use a builder with the extention blueprint in the right spot to add 4 more Combustion Engines to the plant. The various gates are used to activate the fuel/water pumps, and to turn the engines on or off, along with safeties that only allow the engine to run if it is blue.
Backside of the module, showing pipes, and pipe wires.
Front Side of Module, the gates that are currently lit are indicating that the engines need fuel and water.
The best thing you can do to make a power plant is to enter creative mode, and fiddle with it till you come up with a design you like. Once you have it, use the Architect Table with Survey Markers to make a blueprint of the build, and save it to your Blueprint Library. Then you can access it from whatever world you are in.
Other Requirements
Epic Boredom.
Options
The first choice you all have is WHERE TO PUT THE WIRING. It can either be sky-high, at ground level, or underground. Each of these options have pros and cons:
Sky-High
Pros: You won't run into it, unless you look up a lot, you won't see it.
Cons: It makes shadows on the ground, and when you are placing the wiring, there is always a risk of falling.
At Ground Level
Pros: No risks in placing it, doesn't make shadows, kind of even.
Cons: EYESORE
Underground
Pros: Invisible! Easy drilling! You get resources from digging the tunnels!
Cons: Always the danger of falling into a cave... Uses tool durability, which can be pretty bad
Part 1: The Power Station
Suggested placement is once every 2,000 blocks, in a grid pattern. The center of your first grid square should be your house.
Power Generation
The only type of engine that is really suggested for this kind of generation is the Combustion Engine, which is the only engine with enough power output to sustain the kind of power cuts that transportation of long distances will effect. In addition, it is much more effective to operate many Combustion Engines in parallel. Of course, all these engines will consume a lot of Fuel and water. The most efficient way to get water is to use a Pump and a 3x3 pool (1 block of water deep) to get infinite water. There can be one setup of this type for each power station, for each row of engines; or, each engine. Of course, the Fuel is a different story. At this point, you would probably want to make some on-site Refineries to generate the Fuel you need on demand; a holding tank would also be useful. As for the Oil source, you could put another holding tank on-site and make a distribution network when you find an Oil deposit.
But enough about the materials you will need, and on to the most important part: the engines. The suggested arrangement is in a grid, alternating a 1-block and a 2-block distance horizontally, and 1 block vertically, separating your Combustion Engines. The power should be taken out through the tops, and the 1-block horizontal gap between your engines should be filled with water. Under your engines should be Fuel supply lines. This arrangement was chosen because water is not 100% essential to your engines' operation, but Fuel is. Either way, you probably will let your engines fill up a little before running. The switches for your engines should be in the 2-block walkways.
The Conductive Pipes that take power from the engines should interlock at a height of 2 blocks above the ground, so you don't bump into them when you walk. In addition, the pipes that lead from the engines must be Wooden Conductive Pipe.
Part 2: The Wiring
Oro Conductive Pipe is the only really efficient pipe that is necesary for this kind of transportation of energy. It is possible to add some other type of pipe (Mining Pipe works good for this) just for aesthetics, but it is a waste of any pipe besides the aforementioned Mining Pipe, which can be farmed with not that much difficulty.
