Solar Plants

[kobayashi]

Just realized that you can still build solar plants when you have the Hoover Dam wonder but there is no impact from building the improvement.

Is this a bug?

 

[Boco]

Like you say, no change in shield production. However, shield-based pollution potential is eliminated, rather than just reduced.

 

[techumseh]

For every 2 Solar Plants, the effects of 1 pollution square on the map is cancelled.

 

[Andrew Livings]

I didn't know that, Tec. My experience suggests that pollution from industry is completely eliminated, so you don't need recycling centres; however Solar Plant, unlike Hydro power, does not alleviate pollution from population.

 

[techumseh]

MGE manual, p. 68: "Solar Plants also help prevent global warming by absorbing excess heat in the atmosphere" - translation: for each 2 S.P.'s one polluted square doesn't count towards global warming. They also eliminate the pollution caused by shield production, but not population.

If you want to use pollution tiles for a special graphics effect in a scenario, add a couple of S.P.'s for each one over the limit and no global warming will occur. This was done by Harlan Thompson in the scenario eventualy finished by John Petroski - "Afrika Korps" where pollution over ocean was used to represent the Quattara Depression.

 

[Boco]

where pollution over ocean was used to represent the Quattara Depression.

Tec, your knowledge and recollection of Civ2 scenario tricks never ceases to amaze! That's a gem of an idea.

Found the manual, which says GW can occur when at least 9 polluted squares exist. In the strategy forum, there's some discussion about how some polluted squares located in AI cities don't seem to count toward this total.

Anyone have some insight on which polluted squares to count in a scenario?

 

[insurgent]

I always build solar plants in many of my cities when I play a new game, just to prevent global warming. It's a very effective way.