Coal Power Tutorial

Coal power is the first time you use pipes to move fluids in the game. It is the simplest form of automated power (apart from Geothermal) however if you don't set it up correctly you can end up with power outage situations that can be frustrating to resolve.

Part 1: Planning

In part 1 I show you the location chosen and the planning involved. Planning 

 


 

Part 2: Foundation Height

Part 2 explains how Water Extractors provide 10m of headlift without needing any pumps. Understanding this allows us to create a coal power solution that does not require any additional pumps (pumps require 4MW power each).

 


 

Here you will see the specific location where I will place the coal generators on the foundation platform used. Conveyor lifts are used extensively in this solution as they provide a way for the pipes to run underneath them. When re-using this template to deploy more 8 x coal generators you'll find it quick and easy to create.

 

Time is taken here to explain the conveyor belts and pipe layout. Understanding the difference between how conveyor belts work compared to pipes is important to mastering coal power. 

 

I use the Factory Railing from the AWESOME Shop to place the wall power connectors around the back of the coal generators. These are a nice alternative to using power poles.

 

Here I run the water pipe around the back of the generators to create a loop of water.

 

Placing the water extractors in this part. Time is taken to demonstrate how episode 043 "Laying The First Foundation" relates to how water extractors are aligned.

 

I explain how the Water Extractors and Coal Miner are powered, as they will need to be kick started using Biomass Generators first.

 

Now it's time to power on the Water Extractors and Coal Miner to bring the Coal Generators online.

 

The Water Extractors and Coal Miner is your infrastructure power and should be treated separately to your production power (in my opinion). Fluid Buffers are incorporated now for demonstration purposes.

 

The coal power is now connected to the main power grid and the Biomass generators are disconnected. Not long after I discover a problem which caused a power outage, this did not take long to resolve.

 

With Mk. 2 miners and Mk. 3 conveyor belts we have access to more coal which means we can add more coal generators. Using the existing build technique I demonstrated in previous videos we can quickly expand to get more power.

 

With 8 more Coal Generators and 3 Water Extractors built all that remains is to upgrade the existing Miner to Mk.2 and the conveyor belt to Mk. 3. In addition, the power required by the Miner and 6 x Water Extractors needs to be re-calculation to ensure the infrastructure coal generators can meet the demand.

 

Adding another 16 Coal Generators but this time they will be on a platform above the Water Extractors. The Pipe Build Mode aka Pirate Build Mechanic is explained and also another Wall Power Connector tip.

 

In this last part of the coal power expansion videos I demonstrate pipeline pumps and how to place them easily. The build mode for pipes is also demonstrated in more detail.

 

This completes the coal power tutorial. Let me know how it worked for you and share your experiences, perhaps you've got some tips for me.