How to Set Up Solar Heating for Power

Solar Heating Basics

Create: New Age adds Basic Solar Heating Plate, Advanced Solar Heating Plate, and a Heater block. Solar Heating Plates collect heat from sunlight; the Heater uses that heat to do useful work, such as feeding a Stirling Engine to produce rotation or electricity.

Building a Solar Array

1. Craft several Basic Solar Heating Plates. Place them outdoors, facing up, with clear sky above — anything blocking the sun reduces output.

2. Connect the plates to a Heater using Heat Pipes. The Heater is the block that concentrates collected heat.

3. Attach a Stirling Engine to the Heater. The Stirling Engine converts heat differential into rotational force, which you can then feed into a Basic Motor and Basic Energizer to make electricity.

Upgrading and Placement

Once the basic array works, replace Basic plates with Advanced Solar Heating Plate for more heat per block. Group plates tightly to reduce pipe runs. If output drops, check for shade from trees, buildings, or your own machines — even a single block overhead can cut a plate's contribution.

Solar is a good baseline power source because it needs no fuel, but it only works during the day. Pair it with a battery or a second generator type so your machines keep running at night.