Oh they don't drop due to not being solar panels - 100 you're right, I overlooked that due to the prototyping usage - however, also still no work-around, which is a shame.
I also like how they look. I need to revisit this mod to see if I can get it working as originally envisioned. Honestly I tend to just use em for Space science or orbital platforms in my own playthroughs and early/mid-game. Late game fusion is just too good anyway, so it doesn't feel 'unbalanced' - but it would be nice for it to work haha