Where to build powerplants most effectively.

I remember ingame being told once that you can link buildings and reduce energy cost for buildings. Now a few questions arise to me about this. (im completely new to the game)
1. Does this go for turrets aswell? And if yes is it sensible to build them near them?
2. How to know or how many powerplants does it take for maximum reduction for each building? Meaning does it benefit linking a land factory to 5 powerplants or 10? or how about a mass extractor.. I usually build 4 powerplants east,north,west,south around them..
3. Energy cost for buildings this may sound like a stupid question but the material cost and energy cost are they a pay once kind of thing or a constant drain? or both? I ask this because of somewhat confusing numbers for example a building says -750 (-60) energy and a 75 (-6) material cost.
I just don't get the resource system and tend to just build them and not worry about the numbers but I feel noob.
Hope someone could explain to me it in clear and easy way, thank you.|||the benefits of building energy next to buildings is so small its barely worth worrying about.
never build energy next to turrets. you can build them next to T2 artillery, but again the increase in fire rate for an UP unit isn't really worth it.
sorry, i dont remember the actual numbers, just that its not worth worrying about.|||chrisssj2|||Completely surround them for the max. You mean 1 layer of powerplants to make one round or completely surround them with mutiple layers of rounds of powerplants. What are the figures on this anyway, is this sensible to do?
If you surround a land factory completly would tanks still be able to move out?
Are powerplants that are unconnected or only connected with each other bad?
So when I look at the basic building list available from my ACU only mineral extractors and mass fabricators are constantly reduce energy, while all other buildings stop using once the build cost is completed?
Ill check the tutorial again I guess.|||Just one layer, and it should give a 25% energy cost reduction. Tanks can drive through the gaps between power plants without too much hassle.
Also, unconnected plants are perfectly fine to have. You'll probably end up needing to do that in the later stages of the game, so don't be afraid to do it.
chrisssj2