offworld-trading-company
I'm trying to figure out if it's worth using Mutiny costing $6k on a Solar Panel during a NEWSFLASH: Solar flare! when it's 12:50 and Power is $180 each but falling.
The basic calculation is (time until night * 180) < 6000? However, the time is not done in hours but in some other time unit which works out as real world seconds.
The solar flare runs out in 88s, giving a potential gross income of $15,840. But there's no indication if night will fall before this.
There is no way to get a claim back once the tile has been used. This is a design decision: you are forced to think ahead how to use a limited resource.
There is one exception that I am aware of: if one bulldoze the tile before it is built, the claim is returned. So miss-clicks can be corrected if you immediately realize it or if the game is on pause.
Update: As mentioned by DMA57361 in a comment, if another player beats you to the tile, your claim is refunded as well.
You just have to click on the bouton below and the factory will auto-buy the ressource from the market.
However, these ressources won't be purchased if the factory doesn't make profit. It will shutdown instead. In addition to this question, you can force the purchase, if needed, with the first button of the screenshot.
Best Answer
Info care of some guys on Discord.
1 second is 10 in-game minutes. A solar day differs in length depending on planet. On Mars the sol is 24:40, on Ceres 9 and on Io 42:30. This gives the breakdown.