Talk:Bioreactor/@comment-27894804-20160516120051/@comment-26959384-20160719232732

IMAO bioreactor rates are fine. This is especially so since it's so easy to get early-game and materials to fuel it are common. Growbeds and especially aquariums ensure that you cannot run out of power, and you don't even need to leave your base to get the required materials.

The nuclear reactor, on the other hand, requires an occasional collection trip. You generally need to bring a seamoth out to somewhere such as the blood kelp zone to fill up on uranium stores on occasion, and the additional requirements of lead and titanium mean you'll spend a lot of time in the safe shallows and underwater islands simply getting stocked for making rods.

Thermal plants though, I agree. There's not usually much reason to build away from vents, and there's always power transmitters. Bioreactors only might be neccessary in the lost river and blood kelp zones, as these places are devoid of sunlight and lack thermal vents or lava geysers.

A final defense of bioreactors is that they can server as backup power at night. Bioreactors are so cheap to power that there's no reason not to have at least one preventing complete power outages, especially if you have battery/powercell chargers or water-filters that keep your power on the edge. It's also nice to be able to bulk craft on demand at a fabricator without a risk of power outages at night.