Suggestion: include either default values, example values, or buttons to fill in predefined scenarios. I don't know what would be typical in any given setup, and I'm not sure what a Sabatier is.
It's talking about the Sabatier process, which takes hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and puts them with a nickel catalyst and high pressure to make water and methane (useful for rocket propellant)
And if you’re looking for something a bit more lightweight take a look at Surviving Mars, and the newly released Green Planet expansion which adds terraforming to the game.
I recommend starting the batteries out at full. Otherwise it seems you always have curtailment early on... Seems more realistic (charged batteries don't weigh any more than empty ones).
Also, what about fuel cells that run on CH4? It would be interesting to model that. How much CH4 / batteries / solar do you need to kick-start a self-sustaining Sabatier-based colony? Could CH4 storage replace battery storage?
Completely off-topic, but your assertion about the weight of charged batteries caught my attention. It would seem that E=mc^2 comes into play here. I believe charged batteries actually do weigh more than uncharged, though probably not by any measurable amount.
Nice suggestion! I’m reading Zubrin’s Case for Mars at the moment, the different possibilities for chemical processes are really extensive. Will look into adding fuel cells.
It's a really interesting concept between an RTG and a full-on small fission plant. Basically, a tiny, simplified, nuclear fission generator. There's a link at the bottom of the page. Something I learned about today!
Thanks for that link - an interesting set of ideas! Do you have any insight if these proposed solutions have gone through further testing/green lighting? Could a power plant solution like this be used for terrestrial remote research facilities?